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How a Rolling Mill Worker Can Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos
Rolling mill workers operate, monitor, adjust and maintain machinery and equipment to process and roll metals and mineral ores. They often work in steel mills, processing plants, aluminum plants, precious metal refineries and foundries.
Metal was often treated with asbestos, so rolling mill workers could release asbestos fibers in the air when completing work like cutting or sawing metal. Asbestos fibers could become dislodged from metal sheets and workers nearby could inhale or ingest them.
Additionally, many metal workers were exposed to asbestos from suspended ceilings made of asbestos or from exposed insulation in the walls in the factories and plants where they worked. Over time, these materials could deteriorate and release asbestos fibers
Another potential form of asbestos exposure occurred from fireproof clothing metal workers wore, which were often made with asbestos. Rolling mill workers could go home with asbestos fibers on their clothing where they could potentially expose others to these toxic fibers.
Common job duties of rolling mill workers include:
- Set up, prepare and adjust metal processing machinery to roll metals
- Operate machinery to roll metals and mineral ores
- Observe gauges, meters, video monitors, computer sheets and products to ensure machines are properly operated and products meet quality standards
- Adjust machinery, valves, pumps and controls
- Control process start-up and shut-down, troubleshoot and monitor processing equipment
- Check equipment for malfunctions and make necessary routines
- Maintain machinery
- Perform tests on sample products
Locations in the United States with the Highest Employment Rates for Rolling Mill Workers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 143,000 people currently employed as sheet metal workers, which includes rolling mill workers. employed in the Rolling mill industry. States with the highest employment rates for these workers include:
- California
- Texas
- Florida
- New York
- Illinois
Similar Occupations as Rolling Mill Workers
Some occupations that are similar to rolling mill workers include:
- Assemblers
- Boilermakers
- Fabricators
- Glaziers
- HVAC workers
- Insulation workers
- Metal and plastic machine workers
- Roofers
- Solar photovoltaic installers
- Tool and die makers
- Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Rolling Mill Workers
There have been a few cases involving rolling mill workers and metal workers who have been exposed to asbestos. A 74-year old former rolling mill worker who worked at a steel mill 60 years before received compensation of nearly $300,000 against his employer after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure that occurred between 1955 and 1956 while working at Dorman Long Steelworks.
The family of a former steel mill metal worker was awarded $2 million after a jury found Oglebay Norton, Co. negligent associated with asbestos products it provided to the steel mill in Pennsylvania where the steel mill metal worker worked.
Studies Related to Metal Works and Asbestos
The academic studies related to these workers have typically been about metal works and asbestos exposure. For example, the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust found that 32% of union workers in the sheet metal industry who were employed between 1986 and 1990 had lung abnormalities consistent with occupational lung diseases. Later research showed this rate drop to 21%, indicating that increased safety measures in this field were helping.
The Occupational Health Program of Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine conducted a study in 1982 found that New York City sheet metal workers who constructed buildings were exposed to asbestos at dangerous levels. Much of the asbestos exposure occurred from spray-on insulation, which was also used in the construction of the original World Trade Center.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Rolling Mill Workers
The metal that rolling mill workers worked with may have contained asbestos. Metal was often sprayed or coated with an asbestos finish to make it heat-resistant and stronger. Additionally, the machinery they worked with may have been insulated with asbestos and the steel mill or aluminum plant may have been constructed with asbestos materials, such as insulation, asbestos cement, bricks and pipe wrapping.
Rolling mill workers may have also worn protective clothing that was lined with asbestos that was designed to protect them from heat, fire and melting liquids. This protective clothing may have included:
- Aprons
- Gloves
- Helmets
- Jackets
- Masks
- Shields
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Rolling Mill Workers
Some of the manufacturers that may have used asbestos products that rolling mill workers were exposed to include Union Rolling Mill Company and American Rolling Mill Company. Garlock Sealing Technologies supplied insulation products in various industrial settings and had more than 100,000 lawsuits pending as of 2010. Johns Manville also provided insulating products that were used to construct industrial buildings. It set up an asbestos trust that was established with $2 billion. Kaiser Aluminum also set up an asbestos trust fund of $1.2 billion after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2006.
