Flowserve Corporation

Flowserve Corporation employees exposed to asbestos

The company is headquartered in Irving, Texas, and has over 18,000 employees in more than 55 countries. It specializes in the manufacturing of industrial and environmental machinery such as pumps, valves, and seals and provides services to the power, oil, gas, and chemical industries. Flowserve Corporation produces a wide range of valves, from butterfly valves to control valves. Historically, these products would contain asbestos, which posed a great health threat to the employees manufacturing the components and to the workers using them.

These are the industries Flowserve Corporation has been serving ever since the last century and how asbestos exposure occurred among their workers:

• Oil refinery industry: The facilities that convert petroleum into refined products such as gasoline would use numerous asbestos products, such as pipes, insulation, and gaskets, to provide heat and chemical resistance. Because petroleum is highly flammable, asbestos was essential, as it is resistant to fire and it would provide heat and chemical resistance. Lastly, asbestos was also present in the very protective gear oil refinery workers had to wear to shield themselves from fire, such as gloves, aprons, and masks. This equipment was very dangerous, as it would easily release asbestos fibers with wear and tear.
• Power generation industry: The equipment in power generation facilities was insulated with asbestos because this industry would involve a lot of heat, and people had to be careful not to cause fires or explosions. A lot of power plant workers would spray asbestos insulating material directly onto heated machinery such as boilers. In the meantime, other employees would apply asbestos insulation to pipes, seals, pumps, and gaskets. Undoubtedly, the power plant workers who had the highest risk of asbestos exposure were employees whose job was to install and maintain pipes and electrical appliances.
• Chemical industry: This industry would imply extreme heat and very dangerous chemicals, which is why asbestos was seen as ideal by chemical plant workers. In addition to fireproofing equipment and components, asbestos is also resistant to a wide range of chemicals. Furthermore, asbestos was used in the protective gear worn by chemical plant workers. Toxic mineral fibers were woven into gloves, aprons, and blankets. Asbestos was also used to manufacture laboratory countertops resistant to heat and chemical reactions and was found in laboratory ovens as a liner and insulation too.

In addition to these workers, Flowserve Corporation would also expose miners to asbestos. Whether they were mining for asbestos or for talc or vermiculite, miners were at high risk of inhaling and ingesting tremendous amounts of asbestos, as the environment they would carry out their job in was poorly ventilated and nearly entirely closed, which made asbestos exposure even worse. If you wonder how talc and vermiculite miners were exposed to asbestos, the answer is simple – these two minerals are found near asbestos in the earth, and, during the mining process, they inevitably became contaminated with asbestos. No refining process can make talc and vermiculite completely free of asbestos.

The following are the occupational groups Flowserve Corporation exposed to asbestos during the last century, whether directly or indirectly:

• power plant workers
• insulators
• chemical plant workers
• boiler workers
• oil refinery workers
• miners
• factory workers
• paper mill workers

Secondary asbestos exposure, a serious concern for the family members of Flowserve Corporation workers

During the last century, living under the same roof as a family member who handled asbestos at work meant that everyone was inhaling and ingesting toxic fibers to a certain extent as well, as secondary asbestos exposure was very common. Secondary asbestos exposure occurs when one breathes in or swallows asbestos fibers from indirect sources. Asbestos companies did all in their power to cover up the carcinogenic nature of asbestos in the past, which is why employees working with the mineral were not required to change their clothes when their shift ended. Consequently, people who worked with asbestos would carry toxic dust home on their clothes. While their wives would be exposed to asbestos when laundering their garments, their children would come in contact with it when greeting their fathers.

If you had a family member who was employed at Flowserve Corporation and you have recently got bad news regarding your health, we encourage you to contact our legal team, as we have the knowledge to help you recover the financial compensation you are entitled to from the former employer of your family member. To file a claim, all you have to do is call us, explain your situation, and send our legal experts the employment records of your family member and your medical records. After a careful assessment, our attorneys will let you know whether you are eligible to file a claim. If you are, they will quickly begin preparing it for submission. Eventually, you will benefit from the sum of money available for your diagnosis.

Legal assistance in wrongful death asbestos exposure cases for family members

Without a shadow of a doubt, losing a family member to a terrible disease such as those caused by occupational asbestos exposure is a tragic event, and you will need time to process everything and to grieve. However, it is important to think about legal matters as well during this period of time, as the family members of victims of asbestos exposure can file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation on their behalf. The legal process will be easy for you, as you will only have to call us, give our legal team as many details as possible, and subsequently provide us with the employment and medical records of your departed loved one and with their death certificate.

Our lawyers will thoroughly examine your case, and if they deem you eligible to file a wrongful death claim, they will promptly begin working on it. At the same time, our legal experts will pull out additional evidence to support your claim from our large database. Although the sum of money will not be as large as it would have been if your family member had filed the claim, it may still prove helpful for costs such as funeral and past medical expenses. In the end, you will get the most favorable outcome for your case if you decide to work with our law firm, which has over 25 years of experience in toxic exposure cases.