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How Can a Freight and Material Handler Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Freight and material handlers maintain production and distribution of products by removing goods from inventory, staging finished products and delivering materials and products. They are responsible for a variety of job duties, including:
- Moving freight to and from loading docks, storage areas, production areas and delivery vehicles
- Unloading product deliveries
- Packing or wrapping products by hand
- Maintaining stock in warehouses
- Moving materials to fulfill orders
- Setting up products according to customer specifications
- Sorting freight while loading or unloading products
- Feeding or removing materials to or from machines
- Stacking cargo in warehouses or on pallets
- Documenting inventory
- Maintaining inventory by identifying, labeling and placing materials where they go
- Locating materials and goods by pulling them from stock to fulfill production orders
- Using tools and equipment to lift and guide cargo
- Operating heavy machinery, such as forklifts and cranes
- Cleaning vehicles, equipment and workplaces
Freight and material handlers often work in industrial settings, such as factories and warehouses, but others work in retail establishments or other locations. Some of these workers are required to dump waste at landfills, dumps or recycling centers.
These workers could have been exposed to asbestos products in a variety of ways, including working in vehicles and heavy machinery that used asbestos products that became brittle after continued use. They also could have breathed in their fibers when handling these materials or removing them to other locations.
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Freight and Material Handlers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 4,234,900 people currently employed within the category of “hand laborers and material movers.” Within this group is the subcategory of workers classified as “laborers and freight, stock and material movers, hand,” which represent 2,893,000 of these workers. States with the highest employment rates for these workers include:
- California
- Texas
- Illinois
- Pennsylvania
- Florida
Similar Occupations as Freight and Material Handlers
Similar occupations as freight and material handlers include:
- Construction laborers and helpers
- Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers
- Heavy and tractor trailer truck drivers
- Material moving machine operators
- Material recording clerks
- Water transportation workers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Freight and Material Handlers and Mesothelioma
Although there are not many asbestos lawsuits that specifically name freight and material handlers as the plaintiff, individuals who developed mesothelioma because of occupational exposure to asbestos may have a variety of legal options to pursue compensation for this exposure. Workers’ compensation benefits may be paid when a person develops an occupational disease due to their exposure at work. A personal injury lawsuit may be filed against the manufacturers of asbestos products or other parties who were legally responsible for the exposure. Many manufacturers established asbestos bankruptcy trusts to provide compensation to claimants whose health was negatively impacted by their products.
Studies Related to Freight and Material Handlers and Asbestos
There are a number of scientific studies regarding asbestos-containing products that material handlers could have been exposed to. A study published in 1983 found that 50% of buildings studied in the United States contained asbestos-containing fireproofing insulation that was sprayed on ceilings. The study also found that workers’ concentration of asbestos fibers multiplied by more than eight times after handling these materials.
Many studies have found elevated numbers of mesothelioma and lung cancer in contractors who were exposed to asbestos. Those who have longer careers in areas where they are exposed to asbestos are more likely to develop asbestos-related diseases.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Freight and Material Handlers
Freight and material handlers could have come in contact with a variety of products that contain asbestos. Those who worked in cleaning heavy machinery or vehicles may have come into contact with products such as brake pads, brake linings, hood liners or automotive paint. Clutches, gaskets, or valves.
Those who removed items to send out shipments to customers or who were responsible for disposing of items could have come into contact with asbestos products such as:
- Pipe lagging
- Duct tape
- Duct connectors
- Electrical shielding
- Cement bases
- Wire insulation
- Wall panels
- Ceiling tiles
- Interior fixtures
- Felt
- Furnace cement
- Flooring glue
- Insulation
- Appliances
- Cement sheets
- Drywall
- Textiles
- Fire blankets
- Vinyl products
- Cigarette filters
- Decorations
- Makeup
- Talcum powder
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Freight and Material Handlers
Some of the manufacturers of asbestos products that freight and material handlers may have come in contact with include:
- Shaw Box
- Copes Vulcan
- DeZurik
- Grinnell
- Honeywell
- Reading
- Shepard Niles
- Manning, Maxwell, & Moore
- Whiting
- Alliance
- Cashco
- Crane
- Yarway
- Powell
- Milwaukee
- ITT
- Fabri
- American Valve
- Kennedy
- Hammel-Dahl Valves
- Hoffman
- General Electric
- Westinghouse
- Tampa
- English Electric
- Electric Controller Manufacturer, Inc.
- US Electrical Motors
- Crocker Wheeler
- P&H
- Manning, Maxwell, & Moore
- Whiting
- Union Carbide
- Parker
- Shaw Box
- Reading
- Shepard Niles
- Alliance
