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Norton Co.

(Site Profile/Docket Number 169)

Location: Worcester, Massachusetts

Special Exposure Cohort Petition Information

The Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) is a unique category of employees established by the Act (42 CFR Part 83). Claims compensated under the SEC do not have to go through the dose reconstruction process. To qualify for compensation under the SEC, a covered employee must meet specific requirements (e.g., must have at least one of 22 “specified cancers,” and have worked for a specified time period at one of the SEC sites). Classes of employees and work sites can be considered for addition to the SEC through a NIOSH petition process. More information about the Special Exposure Cohort can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Open/Active SEC Petitions

To date, there are no open/active SEC petitions from Norton Co.

Class(es) Added to the SEC

  • All AWE employees who worked at Norton Company in Worcester, Massachusetts, from January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established by Petition 148

  • All atomic weapons employees who worked in any building or area at the facility owned by the Norton Co. (or a subsequent owner) in Worcester, Massachusetts, during the period from January 1, 1958 through October 10, 1962, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort

    Note: This class was established by Petition 173

Classes Not Added to the SEC

  • All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked in any building or area at the facility owned by Norton Co. (or a subsequent owner) in Worcester, Massachusetts, from October 11, 1962, through October 31, 2009

    Note: This class was established by Petition 173

Petitions Qualified for Evaluation

Below is a list of the petitions that qualified for evaluation. Select a petition on the list to view the table for that particular petition.

Petition 148 (Jan 1, 1945 to Dec 31, 1957)

Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:

Date Received

May 28, 2009

Date Qualified for Evaluation

June 1, 2009

Summary of Information in Petition

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All Atomic Weapons Employer employees

Period of Employment: January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.

Copy of the Petition Received

May 28, 2009 [198 KB (4 pages)]
(January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957)

Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Norton Co. SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

June 10, 2009 [53 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957)

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

July 7, 2009 [126 KB (27 pages)]
(January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957)

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

July 7, 2009

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

The Advisory Board discussed the petition on July 28 and September 8, 2009, during its regular meetings (January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957).

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

August 28, 2009 [30 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957)

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

September 29, 2009 [36 KB (5 pages)]
(January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957)

HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC

 Designation

Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

 Designation

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.

Effective Date for the SEC Class

October 29, 2009
(January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957)

Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Determination of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

November 5, 2009 [83 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957)

Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

October 29, 2009 [19 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1945 through December 31, 1957)

Petition 173 (Jan 1, 1958 to Oct 31, 2009)

Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:

Date Received

May 17, 2010

Date Qualified for Evaluation

July 22, 2010

Summary of Information in Petition

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All atomic weapons employees who worked in any building or area

Period of Employment: January 1, 1960 through December 31, 1972

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.

Copy of the Petition Received

May 17, 2010 [1.2 MB (31 pages)]
(January 1, 1960 through December 31, 1972)

Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Norton Co. SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

August 23, 2010 [49 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1960 through December 31, 1972)

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

January 26, 2011 [224 KB (44 pages)]
(January 1, 1958 through October 10, 1962)

August 8, 2011 – Addendum to the SEC Petition Evaluation Report for Norton Co. [100 KB (11 pages)]
(October 11, 1962 through October 31, 2009)

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

February 3, 2011

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

The Advisory Board discussed the petition on August 24, 2011, during its regular meeting (1962-2009). The original petition was discussed by the Advisory Board on February 24, 2011, during its regular meeting (Residual Radiation Period from January 1, 1958 through October 31, 2009).

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

March 28, 2011 [29 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1958 through October 10, 1962)

September 14, 2011 [27 KB (2 pages)]
(October 11, 1962 through October 31, 2009)

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

April 29, 2011 [107 KB (10 pages)]
(January 1, 1958 through October 10, 1962)

October 26, 2011 [70 KB (9 pages)]
(October 11, 1962 through October 31, 2009)

HHS Designation/Determination of Additional Members to the SEC

 Designation

Determination

Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

May 17, 2011 [39 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1958 through October 10, 1962)

Note: A “designation” will be published if there is a recommendation to add a class to the SEC. A “determination” will be published if there is a recommendation not to add a class to the SEC.

Effective Date for the SEC Class

May 29, 2011
(January 1, 1958 through October 10, 1962)

Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Determination of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

June 9, 2011 [45 KB (1 page)]
(October 11, 1962 through October 31, 2009)

Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

June 6, 2011 [17 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1958 through October 10, 1962)

SEC Petitions Not Qualifying for Evaluation

In addition to the petition listed below, two additional petitions were received but did not qualify for evaluation. One did not meet the minimum petition requirements and the class defined in the other petition was already included in the SEC.

Advisory Board and NIOSH Discussions on Norton Co.

The Norton Co. discussion papers listed below are working documents prepared by NIOSH or its contractor for use in discussions with the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health or its Working Groups or Subcommittees. Draft, preliminary, interim, and white paper documents are not final NIOSH or Advisory Board (or their technical support and review contractors) positions unless specifically marked as such. These documents represent preliminary positions taken on technical issues prepared by NIOSH or its contractor.

The discussion papers have been reviewed to identify and redact any information that is protected by the Privacy Act 5 USC §552a and have been cleared for distribution.

Program Evaluation Plans (PEPs) and Program Evaluation Reports (PERs)

NIOSH is committed to applying the best available science in dose reconstructions. In keeping with this commitment, completed cases with probabilities of causation less than 50% are reviewed as relevant new information becomes available. The results of these reviews are described in a Program Evaluation Report (PER). The PER details the effect, if any, of the new information on the completed dose reconstruction. If it appears that the new information may result in an increase in dose for a completed dose reconstruction with a probability of causation of less than 50%, NIOSH is committed to working with the Department of Labor to reopen and rework the dose reconstruction, as appropriate. A Program Evaluation Plan (PEP) describes plans for evaluating specific program details or issues.

  • DCAS-PER-059: Norton Company [59 KB 2 pages)]
    April 24, 2015

    About this Document: Determines the effect of the revision to dose reconstruction methods for the Norton Company, including revision to residual period contamination depletion rate, on previously completed claims.

    Summary: All claims that had previously been completed with a probability of causation (POC) less than 50% were reviewed. This population included 54 claims. Nine of these claims had employment only prior to 1962 and were removed from further evaluation. One claim had been completed using the new template and was also removed from further evaluation. One of the remaining claims was returned to NIOSH by the Department of Labor (DOL) for a new dose estimate during the evaluation. This claim was completed with the new template and was removed from further evaluation under this PER.

    The dose for the remaining 43 claims was recalculated using the template and all applicable approved dose reconstruction methods. As a result, all 43 claims resulted in a probability of causation below 45%. NIOSH will provide DOL with the list of all the claims evaluated under this PER.

Public Comments on Norton Co. Documents

How to Submit Comments

Comments on Norton Co. Documents can be submitted to the NIOSH Docket Officer electronically by email at nioshdocket@cdc.gov or printed comments can be mailed to:

NIOSH Docket Office
Robert A. Taft Laboratories, MS-C34
1090 Tusculum Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Please include the Site Profile/Docket Number (169) on all comments.

Comments Received

At this time, no comments have been submitted on Norton Co. documents.

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