Steel Mill Workers

Blast furnaces, coke ovens, open hearths and ladles needed linings that could stand up to intense heat. Refractory crews tore out and replaced those linings on a regular schedule, often in confined, hot and dusty conditions. Some materials used in or around this work contained asbestos in earlier decades. Pipe insulation and equipment insulation added more exposure throughout the mill. If you did refractory, maintenance or repair work, describe the equipment you worked on, how old linings were removed and how often relining happened in your department during the years you were there.

Steelworkers near molten metal often wore heat-resistant gloves, aprons, leggings, hoods or coats. In earlier decades, some of this gear contained asbestos. As it wore down with use, it could shed fibers directly onto the worker and into the surrounding air. Heat-resistant blankets and shields were used around equipment too. Many workers never thought of this gear as a hazard, since it was meant to protect them. If you wore or handled it, include it in your history, along with how often you used it and whether it was frayed, patched or visibly worn.

Large steel mills often kept detailed employment records, and many long-time workers have retirement or pension documents that confirm their service. Steel-producing regions also tend to have clusters of claims, which means information about materials used at specific mills may already exist. Your part is to establish your jobs, departments and years. List the departments you worked in and any transfers between them, since exposure could vary greatly from one area of the same mill to another. Coworkers from each department can help confirm what you describe. Old seniority lists and union cards can also help.

1. 1

   List the mill departments you worked in and the approximate years for each one.

2. 2

   Describe any refractory, relining or furnace maintenance work you did or worked near.

3. 3

   Note the protective gear you wore that was designed to resist heat or sparks.

4. 4

   Request pension or employment records that confirm your years of mill service.