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The latest statistics show that between 1980 and 2000, over 8,000 men and over 1,000 women died from Mesothelioma. If someone in your family has been affected by this grave disease, you may be legally entitled to financial compensation to help cover your losses.
Boilermakers are highly skilled tradesmen that work on and install boilers, tanks, and vessels. Boilers are vessels in which water or fluid is heated to provide heat, hot water, or steam for both domestic and commercial usages including plants, power facilities, ships, factories, refineries, and even bridges. A boilermaker will follow a blueprint to assemble the boiler from plate sections and structures. A boilermaker holds many responsibilities besides the installation of a boiler. Boilermakers are also employed to repair, re-pipe, and re-tube commercial steam and hot water boilers. They are also responsible in many cases for cleaning and inspecting these boilers.
Many boilermakers are apart of the large labor union, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers. There are an estimated 18,000 boilermakers employed in the United States. Most of these workers are employed in the Building Equipment Contractors and Nonresidential Building Construction industry making up approximately 40% of all boilermaker employment in the country. The states that employ the most boilermakers include Texas, Virginia, Missouri, Indiana, and Louisiana. As of 2007, there were 370 New Jersey boilermakers employed, 1000 New York boilermakers employed, and 580 Pennsylvania boilermakers employed.
Until the 1970s, asbestos was a major component in the manufacturing of boilers. As stated throughout this website, asbestos has been used in the past as an insulator as well as for its heat-resistant properties. This is also true in this case. Due to the extreme heat environments and the functionality requirements of a boiler, asbestos was used to make these boilers more efficient and reliable. Due to the responsibilities of boilermakers, exposure to asbestos would occur when the boilermaker would be performing functions from installation to repair of the vessel. Some examples of manufacturers that built asbestos-containing boilers are Cleaver Brooks, Kewanee, Foster Wheeler, and Babcock & Wilcox. There are examples of boiler manufacturers that were aware of the dangers of asbestos and continued to include the contaminant in the manufacturing of its boilers. As boilers remain in operation for many years, there is a good amount of these asbestos-containing boilers still in operation today. Modern day boilermakers need to exercise all precautions and safety measures when working on these vessels.
There are numerous examples of litigation against boiler manufacturers and companies that ignored the effects of asbestos in its products. A jury in San Francisco awarded six figures to a man affected by the asbestos containing products manufactured by Cleaver Brooks, a manufacturer of boilers since 1931. In another case a Pennsylvania boilermaker who was exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with Mesothelioma, was awarded $47 million after working at power companies in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
Boilermakers and their families need to be aware of the fact that asbestos containing products are still in existence today. It is also very important these workers implement the correct safety procedures and use extreme caution when working around older boilers. Again, asbestos does not only cause a threat to the worker but also his / her family. Asbestos fibers can get into areas on clothing and hair and be transported to other family members and friends.