Electricians and Asbestos Exposure

Like many other skilled workers, electricians may be at a high risk for mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases. Electricians are employed in various industries and companies from small businesses to multinational corporations. They work in all types of environments. Many are also members of national and local labor unions like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers or IBEW.

Most people are aware that electricians are one of the many trades found at construction sites. In addition, electricians may work on Navy ships and submarines, at power plants and other utilities, in shipyards and dry docks, in office buildings and condominiums, at mines, foundries and steel mills, or in schools, hospitals and universities. In fact it would be difficult to find a jobsite that did not require the skills of an electrician.

The Galiher Firm Has Represented Electricians Since 1978

For over 30 years, Galiher DeRobertis Ono has represented electricians such as Tristan Nobriga, a former electrician at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, for their asbestos-related injuries. Attorney Gary Galiher filed one of the first asbestos–related lawsuits in the country 1978 on behalf of Mr. Nobriga who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos. We are proud to be able to help electricians and others harmed by the negligence of the asbestos companies to receive the compensation which they need and deserve.

Electricians Had Significant Occupational and Bystander Exposure to Asbestos

Regardless of the job site where they worked, electricians often had significant occupational exposure to asbestos. Many electrical products contained asbestos, including asbestos insulated wires, electrical panels, molded plastics and phenolic resins, and arc chutes. Electricians used these asbestos products, and worked with them on a regular basis on the job. One of the most common tasks for electricians is to run wires through a house, building, ship, factory, shop or compartment to provide power to that space or equipment. Such wiring often require cutting, drilling or sawing into panels, walls, floors and ceilings which, prior to the late 1970s and into the 1980s, often contained asbestos.

In addition, electricians often worked at jobsites where many other asbestos products were used, usually by other trades working in the same area. Electricians at shipyards and construction sites frequently had bystander exposure to asbestos thermal insulation or lagging, asbestos cloth and blankets, asbestos mud or cement, asbestos ceiling or floor tiles, drywall and wallboard, joint compound, gaskets and packing – just to name a few. Asbestos could also be used on equipment that electricians repaired or installed, such as switch boxes, turbines, generators, motors, pumps, valves and transformers.

Current OSHA and other regulations exist to help protect all workers, including electricians, from the dangers posed by asbestos. Unfortunately, for many electricians this was not always the case. Even today, electricians and others working in older homes and buildings may be exposed to asbestos unless proper protective measures are taken. Electricians should take special care when working on remodeling and renovation projects.