Boilermakers

Traditionally, boilermakers (also known as boiler workers) built boilers and storage tanks and installed them, but they were also responsible for maintaining and replacing them. The term ‘boilermaker’, also covers general metal workers and welders, involved in the construction of trains and ships. After 1945, boilermakers were in heavy demand due to the industrial and building boom that came after the war years.

Their work frequently brought them into contact with asbestos, particularly during the replacement and maintenance of boilers. They were required to strip and replace the lagging used to insulate the boilers and the pipework surrounding them. Asbestos was widely used for its heat resistant properties.

Boilermakers worked in various industries, including shipbuilding, construction, railway engineering and power stations. Much of this work required them to work with all kinds of asbestos material. They were involved in cutting, drilling, and mixing asbestos cement daily and over long periods. Boilermakers produced large amounts of asbestos dust during their work, causing them (and others working nearby) frequent and substantial exposure to asbestos.

For those people who worked as boiler workers and have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, it is essential to act quickly, within three years of diagnosis, to give yourself the best chance at receiving the compensation that you deserve.

Traditionally, boilermakers (also known as boiler workers) built boilers and storage tanks and installed them, but they were also responsible for maintaining and replacing them. The term ‘boilermaker’, also covers general metal workers and welders, involved in the construction of trains and ships. After 1945, boilermakers were in heavy demand due to the industrial and building boom that came after the war years.

Their work frequently brought them into contact with asbestos, particularly during the replacement and maintenance of boilers. They were required to strip and replace the lagging used to insulate the boilers and the pipework surrounding them. Asbestos was widely used for its heat resistant properties.

Boilermakers worked in various industries, including shipbuilding, construction, railway engineering and power stations. Much of this work required them to work with all kinds of asbestos material. They were involved in cutting, drilling, and mixing asbestos cement daily and over long periods. Boilermakers produced large amounts of asbestos dust during their work, causing them (and others working nearby) frequent and substantial exposure to asbestos.

For those people who worked as boiler workers and have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, it is essential to act quickly, within three years of diagnosis, to give yourself the best chance at receiving the compensation that you deserve.

If you cannot find the information that you are looking for, simply contact us using this form or by calling us on 0800 987 8809. We will be only too pleased to try and help you.

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Primary and Secondary Exposure

Many boilermakers suffered both primary and secondary exposure to asbestos, the latter caused by the asbestos dust produced by others working close by. Boilermakers often worked in cramped, hot conditions, with little ventilation to dissipate the asbestos clouds away from their workspaces.

Even today, boilermakers may come into contact with old asbestos materials when asked to maintain or replace boilers installed in the days when asbestos was so liberally in use.

Stringent regulations in the form of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and the HSE’s Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) are in place to deal with asbestos when it is discovered. However, its mere existence so long after the ban on asbestos came into force serves as a reminder of the risk it poses not only to boilermakers, but also other workers and members of the public too.

Due to the heavy amount of asbestos to which they were often exposed, many boilermakers were subsequently diagnosed with asbestos diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis.

Seeking Compensation for Asbestos Exposure

If you, or a loved one, worked as a boilermaker before asbestos was banned in 1999 and you are experiencing what you think may be the symptoms of asbestos disease, you should contact your GP for urgent advice.

Asbestos Awareness is dedicated to informing, educating, and supporting people in relation to asbestos-related diseases.

For further information, or to speak to a member of our experienced medical personal injury solicitors, please call 0800 987 8809. Alternatively, you can fill in this contact form.

To discuss making an asbestos compensation claim, please complete the form below to receive an email or a phone call from us.