Build the history one memory at a time
You do not need a complete exposure theory. Start with a place, job, year, machine, person or routine you remember and organize the next questions from there.
You can begin with incomplete memory
Skip anything you do not know. Approximate answers are useful. The goal is to organize memory—not to prove exposure on this page.
Where do you remember?
A workplace, plant, town, ship, military base, building or home can be enough.
What kind of work was being done?
Job titles help, but tasks often tell us more.
When did this happen?
Approximate years or a decade are useful. A first job, marriage, military service or retirement can help anchor the timeline.
What was around the work?
Machines, systems and materials can be easier to remember than brand names.
Who or what might help confirm the history?
Coworkers, unions, photographs, pay records, manuals, Social Security records, contractor names and family memories can all help narrow the investigation.
A memory becomes a question; a question becomes a record search
Place + time
Identify the correct facility, project, building or employer for the relevant period.
Work + equipment
Connect tasks to machinery, materials, contractors, adjacent trades and historical records.
Corroboration
Look for records and people that can confirm or narrow what happened without overstating what is known.