Unlike a single-product specialty trade, IW iron workers were typically employed by one of several kinds of contractor during the asbestos era, and a complete work history usually involves more than one:

  1. Structural steel erection contractors — the firms that dispatched raising gangs to erect the structural steel skeleton of high-rises, industrial plants, power stations, and bridges. These were the jobs where sprayed asbestos fireproofing was applied to the steel — often while the iron workers were still working the deck.
  2. Reinforcing (rebar) subcontractors — firms placing and tying reinforcing steel in concrete structures.
  3. Ornamental and rigging firms — specialty erectors and riggers setting curtain wall, stairs, and equipment.
Why this matters for an iron worker with mesothelioma: If you worked through an IW Local in the 1950s, 1960s, or early 1970s, your employer — the steel erector that dispatched you — put you on the deck of buildings where sprayed asbestos fireproofing was being applied to the very steel you were bolting and welding. Union dispatch records, W-2s, and Social Security earnings statements help establish which erector employed you for which job, in which years — which in turn helps identify which fireproofing product was sprayed on that building per the litigation record.

The signature exposure: sprayed fireproofing on the steel

For iron workers, the most direct and distinctive asbestos exposure came from the sprayed asbestos fireproofing (Monokote, Cafco, and similar) applied to structural steel from the mid-1950s until the 1973 EPA ban on spray-applied asbestos. The fireproofing was frequently sprayed while the raising gang was still erecting and connecting steel on the floors above and below — raining asbestos fiber down onto the iron workers. The manufacturers of those products are the lead defendants and trust sources, documented on the Asbestos Products page and in the Trust Funds section.

This site does not maintain an independent roster of steel-erection contractor companies — the accurate employer history for a specific iron worker is best established through that individual’s own union dispatch records, not a generic company list, because erectors operated regionally and changed names, merged, or dissolved frequently across the asbestos era.

Why your Local’s dispatch records matter

For an IW member, the Local Unions directory is the more reliable starting point than any generic contractor list:

  • Dispatch records — your Local’s hiring hall kept (and often still retains) records of which erector you were referred to and when
  • Apprenticeship records — establish your trade timeline and the contractors your training program worked with
  • Pay stubs, W-2s, and Social Security earnings statements — independently confirm which employer paid you in which years

An experienced asbestos attorney uses these records — not a generic contractor roster — to build the specific chain from your union card to your jobsite history to the fireproofing and materials documented on that building.

Why This Matters in Your Documentation

A complete asbestos-exposure history typically requires both:

  1. The job sites where you worked (the high-rises, industrial plants, power stations — see the Workplaces section)
  2. The erector that employed you at those sites (your Local’s dispatch records)

For each job, asbestos-attorney case preparation typically asks:

  • Which erector dispatched you, through which Local?
  • What years did you work there?
  • Was sprayed fireproofing being applied to the steel while you were on the deck?
  • Were other trades (insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers) also working the same building?

See the Trust Funds section for documentation requirements per trust, and the Local Unions section for resources on retrieving historical union dispatch records.

References to contractors, companies, and facilities reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation and union archives. This list is not exhaustive and inclusion does not constitute any finding of fact or liability. This site does not provide legal or medical advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by use of this site.