Occupations & Asbestos

Asbestos Exposure Risks for Oil Refinery Workers

November 8, 2024 | Throneberry Law Group

Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral once admired for its insulating and resistance properties, is widely known as a dangerous substance that can cause several illnesses, including mesothelioma. Despite the known dangers of asbestos, this substance was widely used in various industries, including oil refineries. While asbestos is no longer widely used, it still poses significant risks to oil refinery workers. In this article, we discuss asbestos exposure risks for oil refinery workers. Hopefully, the information in this article can help with the implementation of effective safety measures that can protect oil refinery workers and other workers from asbestos exposure.

Historical Use of Asbestos in Oil Refineries

Before the 1908s, asbestos use was prevalent in oil refineries due to its fire and heat-resistant properties. This resulted in many oil refinery workers getting exposed to asbestos and being put at risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. Asbestos was commonly used in areas with particularly higher temperatures and pressures. Workers in certain areas of oil refineries, including boiler rooms, ovens, furnaces, and reactors, were at the greatest risk of asbestos exposure. Asbestos was used in various applications, including the following;

Understanding OSHA’s Asbestos Standards and Regulations for Workplaces

April 25, 2024 | Throneberry Law Group

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was widely used many years ago due to its strength and ability to resist heat and corrosion in many industries, including construction, automotive, shipbuilding, manufacturing, and textiles. Despite its attractive qualities, asbestos is a dangerous mineral. Asbestos exposure can cause cancer and other serious illnesses. While asbestos exposure can occur anywhere, the most common type of asbestos exposure occurs in occupational settings.

The dangers of asbestos have long been recognized, leading regulatory bodies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to implement strict measures to keep employees safe from developing asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma. Unfortunately, some employers don’t follow safety guidelines, putting employees at risk. Below, we discuss OSHA’s asbestos standards and regulations for workplaces, workers’ rights, and what recourse is available for affected workers.

OSHA Asbestos Standards and Regulations for Workplaces

Top Six Occupations at Risk of Asbestos Exposure in 2023

July 8, 2023 | Throneberry Law Group

Asbestos was widely used during the 20th century because of its durability. Millions of workers were exposed to asbestos during the 20th century. After the dangers were known, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) limited the use of asbestos. When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, they can cause mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer, and other diseases such as asbestosis and lung cancer. While asbestos is not banned in the United States of America, regulations that have been put in place have reduced exposure in many occupations. However, many workers are still at risk of asbestos exposure. Below, we share six occupations still at risk of asbestos exposure in 2023.

Construction Workers

Countless buildings were made with asbestos-contaminated materials because asbestos was considered the perfect building material. Asbestos acts as an insulator, has good fire protection properties, and protects against corrosion. Many buildings constructed between 1920 and 1980 still have asbestos-containing materials. Construction workers who work in old buildings are at risk of asbestos exposure. Construction workers can suffer asbestos exposure when removing, repairing, or demolishing asbestos-contaminated materials. These actions can release asbestos particles into the air and make it easier for construction workers to inhale them.

Four Things to Do if You Have Been Exposed to Asbestos

October 7, 2022 | Throneberry Law Group

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs in soil and rocks. Asbestos was widely used before the 1980s in, among other things, building materials. It was in the 1980s that the dangerous effects of this mineral became widely known. However, although asbestos is not commonly used today, it is still used in some products. Also, asbestos can be found in old buildings. This means that asbestos exposure remains a problem. Asbestos can cause various deadly diseases, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.

The following are four steps that should be taken after someone gets exposed to asbestos or if someone has a history of asbestos exposure.

Consult a Doctor Early

What are Employers Required to Do to Reduce the Hazards of Asbestos at Work?

July 22, 2022 | Throneberry Law Group

Asbestos exposure can cause deadly diseases such as mesothelioma. Unfortunately, if you work with asbestos or asbestos-contaminated materials, you are at an increased risk of asbestos exposure. In fact, occupational asbestos exposure is among the most common types of exposure.

If you work with asbestos or asbestos-contaminated materials, OSHA requires your employer to take certain steps to reduce the hazards of asbestos at work. Indeed, the exact steps your employer must take depend on the industry. However, there are some basic requirements that all employers are required to meet.

What are the Hazards of Asbestos?

Asbestos Exposure in Boiler Workers

March 20, 2022 | Throneberry Law Group

Boilermakers are at a high risk of asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was used heavily in several industries in the 20th century. Asbestos is resistant to heat, corrosion, and electricity, and for those reasons, it was seen as an ideal mineral to use in boiler production and operation. Asbestos is an effective insulator for boilers, and manufacturing and insulating boiler equipment with asbestos can reduce the risks related to high temperatures. Indeed, many of the uses of asbestos that put many boiler workers at risk were banned, but the reality is that boiler workers are still at a huge risk of asbestos exposure.

How Boiler Workers Were and Can Still be Exposed to Asbestos

According to the Department of Labor, boiler workers include workers who produce and install the machines, known as boilermakers, and workers who oversee the daily use of boilers in boiler rooms or engine rooms, known as boiler operators. Asbestos poses a threat to both boilermakers and boiler operators.

Firefighters and Asbestos Exposure

September 10, 2021 | Throneberry Law Group

Firefighters are quite important to the community since they protect people against fires and other perils. Unfortunately, firefighters face many safety and health risks. When people think of the different safety and health risks firefighters face, they often think of hazards such as burns, crush injuries from collapsing buildings, and smoke inhalation. Indeed, all these are risks that need to be acknowledged. However, apart from these well-known risks, firefighters face unique asbestos exposure risks. While a firefighter’s set of soot-covered overalls is a sign of a brave and proud firefighter, it is also a sign of potentially deadly asbestos contamination.

How are Firefighters Exposed to Asbestos?

During the 20th century, asbestos-contaminated materials were widely used in buildings. Most manufacturers only phased out the use of asbestos after its link to fatal illnesses was publicly revealed. However, despite the phasing out, the toxic substance remains in millions of old buildings across America.

Preventing Asbestos Exposure

August 14, 2021 | Throneberry Law Group

Because of its resistance to corrosion, heat, and electricity, the naturally occurring mineral asbestos was a popular additive to various products in the 20^th century. Unfortunately, even though asbestos boasts of such qualities, this substance poses a threat to people’s lives. When inhaled, asbestos fibers can get stuck in a person’s body. Over time, trapped asbestos fibers can cause scarring, inflammation, and eventually asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma, a rare, aggressive, and fatal cancer. Usually, after asbestos exposure, it can take up to 60 years for someone to realize they have mesothelioma. Unfortunately, because of mesothelioma’s long latency period, sometimes people realize they are sick when it is too late. Nevertheless, it is vital to note that not everyone who falls victim to asbestos exposure develops mesothelioma.

As much as not every individual who falls victim to asbestos exposure develops mesothelioma, it is vital to take caution. Being cautious is especially important, considering the life expectancy of a mesothelioma patient ranges from 12 to slightly over 20 months. Even though asbestos is no longer commonly used, it still lingers in workplaces and homes. In the 20^th century, the cancer-causing substance was used in thousands of products, and many asbestos-contaminated materials can still be found in offices, homes, and factories across America. Therefore, to avoid asbestos exposure, people must educate themselves about the possible hiding places of asbestos. At work, workers may encounter asbestos in settings such as;

power plants

How Asbestos Threatens the Health and Lives of Construction Workers During Maintenance, Renovations, and Demolitions

June 11, 2021 | Throneberry Law Group

Construction workers are prone to several dangers. In fact, the construction sector is considered among the most dangerous sectors in which to work. Unfortunately, people have become so accustomed to the dangers that construction workers face daily that occupational hazards in the construction sector have become acceptable risks. Construction workers are, for instance, prone to slip and falls, which is the main leading cause of traumatic brain injuries. Apart from being prone to slip and falls, construction workers also risk being exposed to harmful substances. One of the harmful substances that construction workers risk being exposed to is asbestos.

Asbestos, a dangerous substance that causes mesothelioma and other life-altering diseases, continues to threaten the health and lives of many construction workers. Even though current laws limit the use of asbestos, construction workers are still prone to occupational exposure. Asbestos exposure remains a significant problem in the construction industry and might pose an even greater risk for years to come. Considering asbestos was commonly used in the construction industry, construction workers today come across this substance regularly. When construction workers come into contact with asbestos-containing materials, they can develop illnesses such as mesothelioma that can alter their lives and those of their families forever.

Asbestos can remain hidden in almost every part of a building or structure. Therefore, just because a person does not construct new buildings or structures, does not mean they are safe from exposure to asbestos. Workers conducting maintenance, renovations, or demolitions are all at risk of asbestos exposure in the same way those who interact with asbestos during the construction of new buildings or structures are.

Federal Judge Allows Expert Witness to Testify in Mesothelioma Cancer Lawsuit

January 23, 2021 | Throneberry Law Group

A U.S. federal judge recently handed down an important ruling in a mesothelioma cancer lawsuit that will allow four expert witnesses to testify on behalf of the plaintiff who claims that her husband developed a serious form of lung cancer as a result of negligence on the part of the deceased’s former employer. Attorneys for defendant Air & Liquid Services Inc. had sought to exclude the expert witnesses’ testimony in the case, in what can only be interpreted as an attempt to skirt liability for the harm caused by their client.

According to the asbestos cancer lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the deceased victim worked in the engine room aboard the USS Tuscaloosa in 1974 and was exposed to asbestos containing components during that time. As a result of his exposure to deadly asbestos fibers while serving his country, the deceased developed a rare and deadly form of cancer called mesothelioma.

One of the expert witnesses the plaintiff had intended to call at trial was to testify that during the 1960s and 1970s, ships like the USS Tuscaloosa would have their asbestos-containing gaskets removed and replaced during routine maintenance. Further, the removal and replacement of these asbestos gaskets would often produce airborne asbestos fibers, which would settle on horizontal surfaces in densely packed machinery spaces and that enginemen like the deceased would work on these types of systems.