Are self-employed workers eligible to file an asbestos claim?

Where exposure most commonly occurred before self-employment

Self-employed workers and those who ran small businesses in construction trades, industrial settings, or skilled occupations were often exposed to the same asbestos-containing materials as their employed counterparts. These are the occupations that carry some of the most well-documented asbestos exposure histories in both medical research and litigation records:

• Drywall contractors and construction tradespeople who handled joint compounds, finishing materials, and wallboard products containing asbestos through the late 1970s
• Machinists who worked around asbestos-containing gaskets, brakes, and insulation in shipyards, factories, and rail facilities
• Boilermakers who installed and repaired boilers, steam systems, and insulated pipes packed with asbestos refractory materials
• Power plant workers who spent careers around turbines, steam lines, and electrical insulation containing asbestos
• Navy veterans who served aboard ships where pipe insulation, engine rooms, boiler rooms, and bulkhead fireproofing were loaded with asbestos
• Steel workers who operated in blast furnaces, coke ovens, and rolling mills, where asbestos insulation and gaskets were standard
• Refinery workers whose daily environment included distillation units, heat exchangers, and pipelines insulated with asbestos-containing materials

Talk to ELG Law about your exposure history and diagnosis

If you worked in any of the industries or occupations above at any point in your career and have since been diagnosed with lung cancer or mesothelioma, your work history may support an asbestos claim regardless of whether you were later self-employed. ELG Law has spent over three decades representing individuals whose occupational exposure led to a serious diagnosis. Call today for a free case evaluation.