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How Can an Operating Engineer Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Operating engineers operate power construction equipment to excavate, move, and grade earth, pour concrete or other hard surface pavement and erect structures. They often work with construction vehicles and equipment such as bulldozers, compressors, tractors, front-end loaders, scrapers, motor graders, pumps, shovels and derricks.
One of the potential sources of asbestos exposure these individuals may have confronted was asbestos in the vehicles they operated. Bulldozers and cranes were not enclosed, so asbestos dust and fibers could come inside these vehicles that the workers breathed in. Additionally, friction parts like brake pads and wheels and hoisting apparatuses also contained asbestos, so these workers could breathe in these toxic fibers when performing maintenance on their machinery.
Operating engineers often help build infrastructure, such as roads, dams and pipelines. Pipes were often insulated with asbestos, so they could have been exposed during these operations. Additionally, many operating engineers maintain hospitals, schools, power plants and other older buildings that were constructed with asbestos. As they performed their job duties, they could dislodge asbestos fibers and breathe them.
Many operating engineers worked on construction sites where asbestos products were prevalent.
Common job duties of operating engineers include:
- Control and drive heavy machinery
- Maintain equipment
- Use equipment pedals, turn valves and levers
- Clean equipment
- Follow safety practices
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Operating Engineers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 365,300 operating engineers employed in the United States. States with the highest employment rates for operating engineers include:
- Texas
- California
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Florida
Similar Occupations as Operating Engineers
Similar occupations as operating engineers include:
- Construction laborers and helpers
- Crane and tower operators
- Driver sales workers
- Extraction workers
- Heavy machine operators
- Industrial engineers
- Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians
- Quality control inspectors
- Tractor trailer drivers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Operating Engineers and Mesothelioma
There have been a few cases involving similar workers and heavy equipment. For example, a former heavy equipment operator who spent decades working with and around these machines received a $38 million jury verdict in 2013. The man filed the asbestos lawsuit against 13 manufacturers, including those of the manufacturers of pumps and valves he used during his career, including Durco, Bryon Jackson and Crane. The jury found that the man’s mesothelioma was caused by his exposure to asbestos from the defendants’ products.
In January 2020, a former engineer sued the city of San Diego for $25 million after claiming that the city lied about the presence of asbestos in the building, knowingly exposing workers to asbestos and covering up asbestos contamination a few days after city officials ordered hundreds of employees to vacate a property. The lawsuit was filed by a contract engineer hired as part of the project at the forma Sempra Energy headquarters. The claim also alleged that the city fired an independent testing company so that the city could manipulate air samples. A similar lawsuit was filed against the city in 2019 that accused city officials of exposing workers in a nearby building to asbestos. Both cases are pending at the time of this publication.
Operating engineers who develop mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases may have a variety of options for pursuing compensation for their occupational asbestos exposure. One option may be to file a workers’ compensation claim to receive partial wage replacement income and payment of medical expenses.
Many asbestos companies set up special trusts after filing bankruptcy that provides compensation to claimants who were negatively affected by their exposure to their products. Operating engineers may be able to make a claim with one or more of these trusts.
Finally, workers may be able to file a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturers of asbestos products they were exposed to.
Studies Related to Operating Engineers and Mesothelioma
A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study conducted in 1997 analyzed 4,943,566 death certificates originating from 28 states issued between 1979 and 1990 to identify the most common forms of cancer among various occupational groups who were exposed to asbestos, which included mechanical and electrical engineers. Researchers found these workers had a higher incident rate for lung cancer, mesothelioma and colorectal cancer.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Operating Engineers
Operating engineers may have come into contact with a variety of with asbestos-containing products, such as:
- Asbestos sheets
- Asphalt
- Automotive parts, including brake pads, shoes, drums and discs
- Block insulation
- Boilers
- Cement pipes
- Duct connectors
- Electrical and mechanical components
- Fireproofing materials
- Flooring, roofing and ceiling tiles
- Glues and sealants
- Heating and air conditioning equipment and insulation
- Joint compound
- Loose-fill insulation
- Paints
- Pipe insulation
- Wiring insulation
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Operating Engineers
Operating engineers may have worked directly with asbestos-containing products manufactured by various companies, including:
- ABB Ltd.
- Bryon Jackson
- Caterpillar
- Combustion Engineering
- Crane Co.
- Durco
- Foster Wheeler
- John Crane
- Johns Manville
