The EEOICPA was passed in 2000. It provides compensation to workers who became ill as a result of their employment manufacturing nuclear weapons in the USA, as well as their spouses, children, and grandchildren. Simonds Saw And Steel Co. EEOICPA coverage is available for qualified former Workers and their families.
Are you eligible for compensation? If you or a family member worked at this or another AWE facility and became ill, you may be entitled to compensation of up to $150K plus medical benefits. Call EEOICPA Counsel Hugh Stephens at 1-855-548-4494 or fill out our free claim evaluation, We can help even if you’ve already filed, even if your claim was denied!
Here, we have compiled publicly available information and documentation about the facilities covered by the Act to clarify how their activities relate to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.
Simonds Saw And Steel Co.
Also Known As: Simonds Saw and Steel Div., Guterl Special Steel Corp., Guterl Steel Facility, Guterl Steel Corporation, Allegheny-Ludlum Steel Corp., Simonds Steel Division, Wallace-Murray Corporation
State: New York
Location: Lockport
Time Period: AWE 1948-1957; Residual Radiation 1958-March 1, 2011
Facility Type: Atomic Weapons Employer
Facility Description: Simonds Saw and Steel rolled uranium billets into rods for the AEC as part of the multi-site process overseen by the New York Operations Office for the production of uranium metal for fabrication into slugs for fueling Hanford production reactors. Simonds also rolled thorium metal whose most likely use was irradiation in Hanford reactors for the weapons program. Simonds rolled between 25 million and 35 million pounds of uranium and between 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of thorium.
During the period of residual contamination, as designated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and as noted in the dates above, employees of subsequent owners and operators of this facility are also covered under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.
Listing:
Simonds Saw And Steel Co. is listed as an Atomic Weapons Employer (AWE) site under the EEOICPA.
Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) Classes:
All Atomic Weapons Employer employees who worked at Simonds Saw and Steel Co. from January 1, 1948 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.
Petitions Qualified for Evaluation:
Location: Lockport, New York
Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees who worked in any area during the applicable covered thorium operational and residual periods.
Period of Employment: January 1, 1951 through December 31, 2006
Compensation:
As of 01/08/2023, the total compensation paid under Part B of the EEOICPA, including medical compensation, for workers suffering from the effects of having worked at Simonds Saw and Steel Co. is $25,314,274. Click here for a current accounting of compensation paid to former Workers under the EEOICPA.
Simonds Saw and Steel Co. Workers:
If you or your parent worked at this or any other DOE or AWE facility and became ill, you may be entitled to compensation of up to $400K plus medical benefits from the US Department of Labor. Call EEOICPA Counsel Hugh Stephens at 1-855-EEOICPA (336-4272) or fill out the form to the right, whether or not you have already filed a claim and even if your claim has been accepted or denied.
We can help with all OWCP (Federal Workers Compensation) claims, impairments, wage loss and health care. 2495 Main Street, Suite 442 Buffalo, NY 14214.
* SITE HISTORY:
The Guterl Specialty Steel Corporation (GSSC) site, formerly known as the Simonds Saw and Steel Company, performed rolling mill operations on uranium metal, and to a much smaller extent, thorium metal, during the period from 1948 to 1956. Uranium and thorium operations were performed under two separate contracts. The first contract, AT-30-l-Gen-339, initiated in May of 1948 and in effect until 1952, was negotiated with the New York Operations Office of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), predecessor to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The second contract, number S-4, was a subcontract from the AEC with National Lead of Ohio (NLO), which extended the plant activities until 1956. In total, between 25 and 35 million pounds of uranium and approximately 30 to 40 thousand pounds of thorium were rolled from 1948 until operations discontinued in 1956. More than 99 percent of the work done under these contracts involved uranium, which was rolled on the 16-inch rolling mill located in Building 8. Several small lots of uranium bars were run through the 10-inch rolling mill, and approximately 15 to 20 ingots were processed in the hammer forge shop, which was located in Building 3 (NYDEC 1994a and b).
During all operations from 1948 through 1956, the AEC was responsible for providing radiological monitoring and safety guidance and assistance. Residue from the operation was returned to the AEC or NLO. The DOE’s Niagara Falls Storage Site (formerly Lake Ontario Ordnance Works) was used for interim storage of the materials between processing operations and use. Protective measures employed at the site included the use ofhoods and dust collection equipment over the 16-inch rolling mill stands, and catch pans in the mill pits to collect material from each rolling operation. The mill area was vacuumed after every batch of 16 ingots, and the shipping area was vacuumed daily (ORNL 1979).
A radiological survey by Nuclear Science and Engineering Corporation/Carborundum Metals was performed in 1958 which identified elevated radiation levels, and indicated that radiation levels were highest in the quench tank area located in Building 8. Area decontamination was performed, clean steel plates placed over the area, and a second radiological survey was performed in December 1958 to verify decontamination was effective. In October 1976, at the request of DOE Headquarters, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) performed another radiological survey to determine the status of the property relative to current radiological release guidelines. The ORNL survey revealed that most of the residual contamination remaining from the uranium and thorium rolling operations was confined to the areas inside and immediately outside of Buildings 6 and 8 (ORNL 1979).
On February 7,1980, DOE determined that the site required consideration for remedial action. New York State was notified of these findings and took steps to ensure that the site would be adequately controlled. In August of 1984, after reviewing historical and contractual information, DOE determined that they did not have the authority under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to conduct remedial action at the site. This was primarily due to a “hold harmless” provision in the subcontract between Simonds and NLO, which released the government from liability in regard to these operations. In accordance with DOE policy, the State of New York and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were notified of the results of the investigation in order that appropriate actions would take place (ORNL 1979).
In August 1982, GSSC filed for Chapter 11 (bankruptcy) protection and in March 1984 Allegheny International (now known as Allegheny Ludlum Corporation) bought out the assets of the GSSC. The purchase by Allegheny Ludlum Corporation included the entire site with the exception of two regions, classified as the excised property and the landfill. The excised property is approximately 3.6 hectares (ha [ 9 acres]), consists of a chain-link fenced area which surrounds all of the buildings that existed during the rolling operations from 1948 through 1956, and includes the adjacent exterior land areas. The landfill region was originally owned and used by Simonds Saw and Steel Company from 1962 to 1978, and was subsequently owned and used by GSSC from 1978 to 1980. The landfill area was used for the disposal of slag, baghouse flue dust, foundry sand, waste oils and greases, and miscellaneous plant rubbish. The landfill is not lined or covered, and although its surface has been regraded, ponding occurs and surface runoff is uncontrolled. The landfill region is currently a New York State superfund site (NYDEC 1994a and b).
SITE DESCRIPTION:
The 28 ha GSSC site is located in Lockport, New York (Figure 1). The site is bordered by Ohio Street to the east, residential and commercial properties to the north, Route 95 to the west, and the New York State Barge Canal to the south (Figure 2). The property is grouped into three areas, the 2 1 ha Allegheny Ludlum Corporation property, which includes four buildings that were constructed after the termination of AEC activities; the 3.5 ha landfill area, located in the northwest comer of the site; and the 3.6 ha excised property, which includes nine buildings that existed during the AEC activities, located in the southeast comer of the site (Figure 2).
*Source
DOCUMENTS:
NIOSH SEC Petition Evaluation Reports
Petition 157 (Jan 1, 1951 to Dec 31, 2006)
SEC Petition Evaluation Report, Petition SEC-00157, Rev #: 0
Report Submittal Date: October 29, 2010
Technical Basis Documents
Site Profile
Site Profile for Simonds Saw and Steel, Rev. 02
Site Profile for Simonds Saw and Steel, Rev. 01