
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 23, 1993                   TAG: 9304230196
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FIELDALE                                LENGTH: Medium

TOWEL MILL SLAPPED BY SAFETY FINE

State safety officials have fined Fieldcrest Cannon Inc. $177,500 for what they labeled as 10 willful and one serious violation of health and safety laws regulating handling of asbestos at the company's towel mill.

Local 1708 of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union filed the complaint in October. The union said the company refused to protect employees in an area where asbestos was released from repair work on a steam pipe. The fines by the Occupational Safety and Health arm of the state Department of Labor and Industry were announced Thursday.

The union estimated that as many as 70 workers were exposed to asbestos, a material related to cancer, the union said.

"Those people went home with asbestos in their hair and clothing," said Roy Wade, union vice president. He said they were handling pipe "wrapped in asbestos, with no protection."

Fieldcrest Cannon Vice President O.L. Raines said the issue was that some employees should have checked before handling the pipe.

The union said the company was fined $450 in 1991 in another asbestos case. Raines said he did not recall such an incident, "but if there was one, it must have been a housekeeping matter."

Wade said the company agreed to train workers in the proper removal of asbestos "but we know they didn't." Raines said: "We spend an awful lot of money and time on OSHA training, including complying with asbestos-removal requirements."

James Mann, OSHA regional supervisor, conferred on the citations with company and union representatives Thursday in Roanoke, but he declined to report on the meeting. Raines said Fieldcrest has two weeks to submit a position statement. He said it will not decide on an appeal until it hears from OSHA.

Wade said the company is trying to blame the incident on employees. He said he anticipates a company appeal will be rejected by the state.

The union is trying to force the company to include the state citations in employees' medical records "to protect the workers" in case the union takes further action.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

by CNB