Opinion ID: 548350
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Plaintiffs' Direct Testimony

Text: 34 1. John Davis--Mr. Davis worked at Firestone from 1968 to 1980. He worked in the mill room on the 155' level for three years; this room was very dusty. He also worked for five years in the compound room on the 180' level which was also dusty. Forklifts frequently drove into low-hanging pipes, causing ceiling material to fall on him. This had also happened in the mill room. Mr. Davis spent one year in the curing area on the 180' level where there was a great deal of piping. 35 2. Ammon Moyer--Mr. Moyer was employed at the Firestone plant from 1946 to 1980. He worked for six months in the tread-ply assembly section on the 180' level where air quality was poor. He spent three years as a machine operator on the 180' level and was exposed to asbestos on steam pipes. Fork trucks struck the pipes at least once a week and the pipes were maintained every day, resulting in the release of light flaky dust. For 22 years, Mr. Moyer worked as a final inspector in an area adjacent to the curing process on the 180' level. Pipes in the curing area were covered with asbestos and the air in the final inspection area was dusty from the asbestos and talc. 36 3. Kenneth Reimert--Mr. Reimert began working in the Firestone tire plant in 1960 as a serviceman in the mill room on the 155' level. In 1964 he moved to the tread tubing area on the 180' level. He worked on the same level from 1970 to 1980 as a tire builder. He described four years of working with soapstone which was sprayed onto the rubber above him and stated that there were asbestos pipes in all areas in which he worked. The pipes were being maintained constantly and Mr. Reimert sometimes performed emergency pipe-wrapping jobs. Mechanics made repairs to the building machines right in front of him. 37 4. Stanley Yourkavitch--Mr. Yourkavitch began work at Firestone in 1946 in the curing department on the 180' level. From 1962 to 1980, he worked in final inspection on the same level. He testified to using soapstone during his employment and to having worked in the vicinity of asbestos-covered pipe for at least 16 years. 38 5. Edwin Beidler--Mr. Beidler was employed at the Firestone plant from 1960 to 1980 as a pipefitter; from 1961 to 1980, he worked primarily in the chemical plant. He spent one year exclusively in the tire plant although he was later called upon to make repairs there on a regular basis. As a pipefitter Beidler often removed asbestos cement and insulation. The tube room, where he sometimes worked, was always dusty because of talc use. He also worked with asbestos sheeting, gaskets, and packing and saw repairs made to the brake linings of wheeled vehicles. 39 6. Willard Klein--For 34 years Mr. Klein worked in the tire curing and building area on the 180' level. He claimed exposure to asbestos from overhead steam pipes. 40 7. James Sgro--Mr. Sgro began working at Firestone in 1970 and spent seven years in the tube room on the 167' level where he was exposed to soapstone. From 1977 to 1980 he worked in the tire building area on the 180' level. He was exposed to covered steam pipes throughout his 10 year employment. 41 8. Larry Stopfel--Mr. Stopfel spent seven years in the stock-cutting area on the 180' level where he was exposed to soapstone and another seven years running a mixer and operating a forklift. Asbestos insulation was used in all of the areas in which Stopfel worked. 42