Opinion ID: 6986485
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Caruolo’s Exposure to Dust from Crane’s Products

Text: There was ample evidence that Caruolo’s work with Crane’s products produced visible dust, both in the Navy and at Rhee. In his videotaped deposition, which was received in evidence, Caruolo described his experiences as a fireman on three Navy ships from 1944 to 1950. Caruolo was responsible for firing the oil-fired burners in the ships’ boiler rooms, and for repairing leaks in boiler room valves and flanges. The valves directed a fluid or substance from one place to another; the flanges connected one pipe to another. Caruolo repaired leaking valves by removing and replacing the packing; he repaired leaking flanges by removing and replacing the gaskets. Caruolo testified that he used packing and gaskets manufactured by Crane, among others. There is evidence that these repairs caused particles of the gaskets and packing to become airborne in Caruolo’s work area. Caruolo first removed the cloth or cement insulation covering the flanges and valves. Then, on flanges, Caruolo would remove the old gasket and make a new gasket by “bang[ing]” gasket sheets with a hammer. Pieces of the gasket material would become airborne during this process, eventually falling to the floor, where they would be trampled on by the crew. On valves, Caruolo would remove the packing by pulling, chipping, poking and picking it away. In the process, packing material “definitely became airborne,” often falling on Caruolo’s clothes and on the floor. Caruolo’s shipmates corroborated Caruolo’s testimony about the dust produced when removing and replacing gaskets and valve packing. At Rhee, Caruolo started as a mix mill operator, then worked for ten years in shipping and receiving before becoming an apprentice electrician and ultimately, a licensed journeyman electrician. Caruolo’s responsibilities as an electrician included occasionally repairing boiler controls and valves. Gaskets were often around the valves, and Caruolo removed and replaced the gaskets, as he had done in the Navy. In the process, excess gasket material would land on his work bench and when the material was cleaned up, it would often become airborne and land on his clothes. The gasket material that Caruolo handled during this time was manufactured by Crane, among others.