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How Can a General Maintenance Worker Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
The construction industry is one of the top five industries for asbestos exposure. Before the 1980s, thousands of construction products contained asbestos. Maintenance workers throughout the United States could have been exposed to asbestos while completing their basic job duties. There are still certain construction materials that are allowed to be made with asbestos, including roofing and flooring materials.
Demolition crews and home renovators can be exposed to asbestos as they remove and disturb old locations of asbestos.
General maintenance workers often work to repair and maintain various systems in buildings. These systems may have been insulated by asbestos or contained other asbestos-containing components. Many of the typical job duties that maintenance workers performed may have exposed them to asbestos, such as:
- Repair flooring
- Fix plumbing and electrical problems
- Work on malfunctioning HVAC equipment
- Paint walls and other surfaces
- Fix roofs
- Repair doors, floors, walls and woodwork
- Maintain and repair machines and mechanical equipment
- Maintain and repair equipment and machinery in hospitals, factories, stores and other industrial locations
- Fix faulty electrical switches, outlets and circuit breakers
- Perform routine preventative maintenance so that machines and systems run correctly
Asbestos is also found in many homes, schools, factories, trains, ships and vehicles today where maintenance workers may be sent.
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for General Maintenance Workers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently more than 1,488,000 general maintenance and repair workers employed in the United States. States with the highest employment rates for general maintenance and repair workers include:
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Illinois
Similar Occupations as General Maintenance Workers
Similar occupations as construction insulators include the following:
- Boilermakers
- Carpenters
- Construction laborers and workers
- Construction managers
- Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers
- Electrical and electronics installers and repairers
- Electricians
- HVAC mechanics and installers
- HVAC workers
- Plasterers
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
- Roofers
- Sheet metal workers
- Steamfitters
- Stucco masons
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving General Maintenance Workers and Mesothelioma
There have been a few notable cases filed by general maintenance workers who have developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases after being exposed to asbestos on their jobs. For example, a Seattle jury awarded more than $1.5 million in 2001 against ACandS, Inc., which supplied asbestos-containing insulation to the jobsite where the man worked as a repair and maintenance man from 1947 to 1989. He was diagnosed with colon cancer, asbestosis and non-Hodgkins lymphoma due to his occupational exposure to asbestos.
In 2015, A South Carolina jury awarded $14 million against Celanese Corp. in a wrongful death case brought by the family of a former maintenance worker who died of mesothelioma. He worked at a Celanese plant while an employee of a construction company that Celanese hired to complete maintenance and repair work. The award included $2 million in punitive damages that the jury awarded after finding that the company was aware of the hazards of its asbestos products and failed to warn users of them. The defendant appealed the decision and it was affirmed in 2019.
Studies Related to General Maintenance Workers and Asbestos
A few scientific studies have explored the connection between maintenance work and asbestos exposure. For example, a study entitled “Asbestos exposure of building maintenance personnel” was a 1996 study in which researchers took 302 personal air samples in public buildings during maintenance worker activities nearby asbestos-containing materials. The study emphasized the importance of using programs to minimize asbestos exposure risk to maintenance workers.
A number of studies have also found increased levels of asbestos fibers and the development of asbestos-related diseases in insulation workers. Maintenance workers also came into regular contact with asbestos insulation.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by General Maintenance Workers
General maintenance workers work with a variety of construction materials. Some construction materials continue to include asbestos, posing a current risk for workers today, as well as many materials that were formerly installed in homes and are banned today. Some asbestos-containing products that general maintenance workers may have come in contact with include:
- Adhesives and sealants
- Bricks
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement
- Concrete
- Drywall
- Electrical appliances
- Fireproof coatings
- Flooring materials
- Gaskets
- Insulation
- Joint compound
- Mattresses
- Paint
- Pipes
- Plaster
- Plastics
- Roofs
- Rubber
- Valves
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by General Maintenance Workers
Manufacturers of products that contained asbestos that general maintenance workers may have used or come in contact with include:
- A C & S
- P. Green Industries
- Armstrong Contracting and Supply
- E. Thurston & Sons
- Celotex
- CertainTeed Corporation
- Combustion Engineering
- Crown Cork and Seal
- Ehret Magnesia
- Thurston & Sons
- Ehret Magnesia
- GAF Corporation
- Garlock
- Johns Manville
- Kaiser Aluminum
- National Gypsum Company
- Nicolet
- Owens Corning
- Owens-Illinois
- Pacor Incorporated
- Pittsburgh Corning
- Rock Wool Manufacturing
- Shook & Fletcher
- UNARCO
- Western MacArthur
- R. Grace & Co.
