BULLDOZER OPERATOR
Heavy equipment operators face serious health risks from job-related asbestos exposure

The Bulldozer Operator:

Operating heavy equipment like a bulldozer requires knowledge of engineering and an astute eye toward occupational asbestos hazards.

On-the-job asbestos exposure for a bulldozer operator can lead to the development of mesothelioma, the deadliest of asbestos-related cancers.

Bulldozer operator wins $2M verdict

In what was the first successful lawsuit of its type against Caterpillar, a bulldozer operator named Daniel Johnson obtained $2 million as a result of the mesothelioma cancer he contracted while working on the brakes of his Caterpillar bulldozer. Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment.

Break drums, especially on heavy construction equipment like a bulldozer, are notorious reservoirs for toxic asbestos dust which grinds off of giant asbestos brake pads to help reduce heat and friction.

Despite the fatal diseases associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States for its insulation properties. The United States imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Heavy equipment parts still likely to contain asbestos are brake pads and linings, as well as gaskets in high-friction areas where heat or static electricity could cause a spark.

Bulldozer operators also face asbestos exposure in ways that are more difficult to avoid. For instance, during demolition work at old building sites operators run the risk of asbestos exposure when asbestos-containing materials are broken or disturbed.

In those cases, microscopic asbestos fibers will become airborne and potentially inhaled by the bulldozer operator and anyone else on the site.

Secondhand asbestos exposure also kills. Asbestos dust can also be collected on the operator's work clothing and transported home to the bulldozer operator's family. Wives of workers who have never set foot on a construction site have died simply by laundering their husband’s work clothes on a regular basis.

Approximately 90,000 people worldwide die of asbestos disease every year, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, 3,000 workers die annually from exposure to asbestos.

Bulldozer operators can obtain compensation

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Please know, the firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.