Fairbanks Morse: Asbestos Use in Industrial Turbines and Heavy Equipment

Fairbanks Morse is a name long associated with heavy industrial machinery in the United States — particularly with engines, pumps, and turbines that powered facilities across nearly every major industry sector throughout the twentieth century. For workers who operated, installed, or maintained Fairbanks Morse equipment during the mid-to-late twentieth century, questions about asbestos exposure have become an important part of their occupational health history. According to asbestos litigation records, Fairbanks Morse equipment incorporated asbestos-containing components over a period spanning several decades, with documented use continuing through approximately the early 1980s.

Company History

Fairbanks Morse traces its origins to the nineteenth century, when it began manufacturing scales and weighing equipment before expanding into a broad range of industrial machinery. Over time, the company established itself as a significant supplier of diesel engines, water pumps, railway locomotives, and turbines used in power generation, water treatment, maritime operations, and heavy manufacturing.

The company’s industrial footprint was substantial. Fairbanks Morse engines and turbines were installed in naval vessels, municipal water systems, electric utilities, railroads, and large-scale industrial plants. This widespread deployment meant that generations of American workers — machinists, millwrights, boilermakers, pipefitters, Navy personnel, and plant maintenance crews — came into regular contact with Fairbanks Morse equipment throughout the post-World War II era.

By the time asbestos began to be phased out of industrial products in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in response to growing regulatory pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Fairbanks Morse had already supplied equipment to worksites across the country for decades. The company is understood to have ceased asbestos use in its products at approximately the start of the 1980s.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Fairbanks Morse turbines and associated industrial equipment contained asbestos materials in several forms. Plaintiffs in civil litigation have alleged that asbestos was present in components including gaskets, insulation packing, thermal insulation materials, and other internal parts integral to the operation of high-heat industrial turbines.

Turbines, by their nature, generate and sustain extreme operating temperatures. Throughout much of the twentieth century, asbestos was the material of choice for managing heat in these environments because of its thermal resistance, durability, and low cost. Court filings document that Fairbanks Morse turbines — like those produced by many industrial manufacturers of the same era — relied on asbestos-containing gaskets at flanged joints and in head assemblies, asbestos rope and packing materials around valve stems and shaft seals, and thermal insulation applied to exhaust casings and high-temperature surfaces.

Plaintiffs have further alleged that the asbestos-containing components of Fairbanks Morse equipment were present not only in original factory-installed parts but also in replacement components that workers handled during maintenance and repair operations over the life of the machinery.

It is important to note that detailed product-specific documentation — such as model numbers, part numbers, or specific product lines — varies in availability within public court records. Workers and attorneys researching exposure history are advised to consult litigation records and discovery materials from relevant civil cases, which may contain manufacturer specifications, internal correspondence, and engineering documents not in the general public domain.

Occupational Exposure

The workers most likely to have encountered asbestos from Fairbanks Morse turbines and related equipment were those whose jobs required hands-on contact with the machinery itself — particularly during installation, maintenance, repair, and overhaul activities.

Machinists and Millwrights who installed Fairbanks Morse turbines in industrial plants and power facilities routinely handled insulation materials and gaskets during assembly. Court filings document that disturbing asbestos gaskets or insulation during installation and fitting could release respirable asbestos fibers into the surrounding air.

Maintenance and Repair Technicians faced repeated exposures over the course of their careers. Turbines require periodic maintenance — gaskets must be replaced, seals re-packed, and insulation repaired or removed. According to asbestos litigation records, each of these tasks had the potential to disturb asbestos-containing components, releasing fibers in enclosed engine rooms, mechanical spaces, or utility buildings where ventilation was often limited.

U.S. Navy Personnel and Maritime Workers represent a significant exposure population. Fairbanks Morse was a supplier of engines and turbines for naval vessels, and court filings document that sailors, engine room technicians, and Navy mechanics worked alongside Fairbanks Morse equipment in the confined spaces of ships — an environment known for poor air circulation and high cumulative fiber exposure risk.

Railroad Workers also encountered Fairbanks Morse diesel engines in locomotive applications. Maintenance crews who serviced these engines in roundhouses and repair facilities — environments that plaintiffs have described in litigation as having minimal dust control measures during the relevant decades — may have experienced repeated asbestos exposures.

Power Plant Operators and Utility Workers who oversaw Fairbanks Morse turbines in generating facilities are another group identified in civil litigation. Turbines used in power generation applications were often subject to extended service lives, meaning that workers could be exposed to aging asbestos-containing components throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, even as the industry began transitioning to asbestos-free alternatives.

Bystander exposure — affecting workers in adjacent trades or areas who were not directly working on Fairbanks Morse equipment but were present when asbestos-containing components were disturbed — has also been alleged in court filings.

Fairbanks Morse is classified under Tier 2 for purposes of this reference: the company has been named in asbestos personal injury litigation, but no asbestos bankruptcy trust fund has been established in connection with Fairbanks Morse or its parent entities as of the time of this writing.

This means that individuals who believe they were exposed to asbestos through Fairbanks Morse equipment do not have access to a dedicated trust fund claim process for this manufacturer. Legal claims against Fairbanks Morse, to the extent they are pursued, would generally proceed through the civil court system rather than through an administrative trust fund filing.

According to asbestos litigation records, Fairbanks Morse has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits filed by former industrial workers and their families. Plaintiffs in these cases have alleged occupational exposure to asbestos-containing components of Fairbanks Morse turbines and associated machinery. These cases have proceeded under various legal theories, including product liability and failure to warn. Whether and to what extent liability has been established in any individual case varies; litigation outcomes are not generalized across all claimants.

Individuals exploring legal options should be aware of applicable statutes of limitations, which vary by state and by the type of claim being pursued. Asbestos-related diseases — including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer — often have long latency periods of 20 to 50 years between exposure and diagnosis. Most states apply a “discovery rule” that starts the limitations clock from the date of diagnosis or the date the claimant knew or should have known of the connection between their illness and asbestos exposure.

If you or a family member worked with or around Fairbanks Morse turbines, engines, or related equipment and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer, the following information is relevant to your situation:

  • No Fairbanks Morse asbestos trust fund currently exists. Compensation claims related to this manufacturer would be pursued through civil litigation rather than a trust fund filing.
  • Civil litigation remains an option. Attorneys experienced in asbestos personal injury cases can evaluate whether a claim against Fairbanks Morse, or against other manufacturers whose asbestos-containing components may have been present on the same jobsite, is appropriate.
  • Multi-defendant claims are common. Workers exposed to Fairbanks Morse equipment were typically also exposed to asbestos-containing products from other manufacturers. A comprehensive asbestos litigation claim will generally identify all potential defendants, which may include companies that have established trust funds — providing additional avenues for compensation even where no Fairbanks Morse trust exists.
  • Exposure documentation matters. Work history records, union records, co-worker testimony, and vessel or facility records can all be used to establish the presence of Fairbanks Morse equipment at a specific worksite during the relevant period.
  • Consulting a qualified asbestos attorney is the recommended first step. Most asbestos attorneys work on a contingency fee basis and offer free initial consultations.

Workers who served in the U.S. Navy, worked in power generation, operated railroad facilities, or maintained heavy industrial machinery between the 1940s and the early 1980s and who have received an asbestos-related diagnosis should document their full employment history and discuss it with legal counsel experienced in occupational asbestos exposure claims.