Why Operating Engineers Are Linked to Mesothelioma

Operating engineers — and in particular the stationary engineers who run industrial boiler and steam plants — spent their careers inside the most asbestos-laden environments in American industry. Their job was to operate, monitor, and maintain the boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, and piping systems that were, from the 1920s through the 1970s, wrapped and sealed with asbestos at nearly every point.

Because a stationary engineer’s daily rounds took them directly to the equipment where asbestos insulation, gaskets, and packing were installed — and because much of their work involved disturbing that material during operation and maintenance — operating engineers experienced sustained, career-long asbestos exposure. Many are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases decades later.

How Operating Engineers Were Exposed

Operating the boiler plant. Stationary engineers worked in the immediate vicinity of asbestos-insulated boilers, breeching, and refractory. Deteriorating block insulation and refractory released fiber into the boiler room air the engineer breathed on every shift.

Valve and pump maintenance. Repacking valve stems and pump shafts with asbestos packing, and replacing asbestos flange gaskets, was routine hands-on work that generated airborne fiber directly in the engineer’s breathing zone.

Insulation disturbance. Operating engineers regularly worked around pipe insulation that had to be removed to reach valves, traps, and fittings — and reinstalled afterward. Cutting and handling asbestos pipe covering was a constant part of the job.

Instrument and control work. Steam traps, gauges, transmitters, and control valves were mounted throughout the asbestos-insulated piping systems, requiring engineers to work in and around insulated equipment.

Casualty and emergency response. When a boiler, turbine, or steam line failed, operating engineers responded directly — often disturbing large amounts of asbestos insulation under emergency conditions.

Where Operating Engineers Worked

Stationary and operating engineers ran the steam and power plants at:

  • Electric utility generating stations
  • Petroleum refineries and chemical plants
  • Paper mills and steel mills
  • Hospitals and university campuses
  • Food, beverage, and manufacturing plants
  • District-heating utilities
  • Government and institutional facilities

Every one of these facilities was built with asbestos-era steam-plant materials, and the operating engineer was the worker closest to them, day in and day out.

Union Representation

The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) represents operating and stationary engineers across the United States. IUOE members who spent their careers running industrial boiler and steam plants are among the trades with the most consistent, long-duration asbestos exposure histories.

The asbestos-containing boilers, insulation, gaskets, and packing that operating engineers worked around were made by manufacturers — including Babcock & Wilcox, Combustion Engineering, Foster Wheeler, Crane Co., Garlock, John Crane, and Johns-Manville — many of which have established asbestos bankruptcy trust funds. An operating engineer diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease may be able to file claims against multiple manufacturers simultaneously.

If you worked as an operating engineer or stationary engineer and were exposed to asbestos insulation, gaskets, or packing while operating and maintaining industrial boiler and steam plants — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer — you may have legal rights.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Product and manufacturer references reflect allegations documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation and trust fund records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.