The term "industrial worker" refers to a very broad category of laborers that comprise factory workers, assemblers and machinists, custodial and maintenance staff and many other semi-professional and non-professional workers. By definition, industrial plants are factories where products are made in mass quantities, often using automated methods to increase productivity. Industrial workers may perform any number of tasks related to chemical or mechanical construction of products, from unpacking materials to cutting and assembly to packaging of finished products.

In addition to the workers responsible for the actual manufacturing process, industrial workers include those who are responsible for the installation, maintenance and repair of heavy machinery and equipment in the factory or plant. Their duties might extend to maintenance and repair of heating and cooling systems, or plumbing and electrical systems.

Asbestos Exposure

Industrial workers are exposed to many hazards on the job, some more obvious than others. Among those dangers is exposure to noxious chemicals and poisonous substances that are often used in the course of manufacturing. Those substances may be in the form of fumes or dusts in the air. Inhalation of various types of dust has been known to cause illnesses, particularly lung diseases. Inhaling asbestos dust is one of the industrial worker's most ominous hazards.

Asbestos, a mineral substance, was widely used in the construction and manufacturing industries throughout most of the last century. Its chemical properties, including fire and heat resistance, offered many unique advantages for manufacturing, not only for the products being made, but also in the machines and processes used to make them.

Exposure to asbestos, however, has the potential to be deadly. More specifically, exposure to asbestos dust can lead to mesothelioma, a fatal malignant cancer that affects the thin tissue lining the lungs, heart or abdomen.

When the tiny fibers released by the breakage of asbestos are inhaled, they can lodge in the lungs or linings of the lungs. Mesothelioma can take nearly half a decade to develop, and it may result from as little as a single, heavy exposure to asbestos dust. More often, those who develop mesothelioma worked with it in mines, factories, power plants, shipyards or on construction sites for many years on a daily basis.

One of the most difficult parts of proving the source of mesothelioma - the original exposure to asbestos - is that often, industrial workers were unaware that the products they once handled contained asbestos. Indeed, plant workers may have inhaled asbestos dust during many different facets of their work, including:

Mixing and pouring materials for manufacture
Spraying asbestos solutions on products
Wearing protective asbestos clothing like gloves, boots and overalls
Spraying asbestos insulation on pipes, machinery and boilers
Working with asbestos packing and lading
Removing asbestos lagging and padding
Cutting materials that contain asbestos
Sandblasting or otherwise cleaning asbestos spray paint from fixtures and pipes
Applying and replacing asbestos insulation around pipes

Industrial workers who were exposed to asbestos in the past have a greatly increased risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. However, the dangers of asbestos exposure in factory and industrial work continues, though it is reduced because of the raised awareness of the dangers of asbestos. OSHA and the EPA set forth guidelines for the safe handling of asbestos-containing materials, and those guidelines should be followed in all factories and industrial plants, especially older ones where asbestos might still be present.

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease as a result of working as an industrial worker and would like more information, please fill out the form on this page to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.

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