Was Rexnord Industries — asbestos documented in litigation?

Rexnord Industries — is documented in public asbestos litigation records as a manufacturer whose products contained asbestos during the mid-twentieth century. Workers in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction who handled or worked near these products may have experienced occupational exposure.

Which trades had the most exposure?

Pipe coverers and insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers are among the trades most frequently documented in asbestos exposure claims. Workers who cut, fitted, or removed asbestos-containing products — and those working in close proximity during that work — typically had the highest fiber concentrations.

How long do workers have to file an asbestos claim?

Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by state, typically ranging from one to five years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. The clock generally starts at diagnosis, not exposure — mesothelioma can have a latency period of 20 to 50 years. An asbestos attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.

Can workers file claims related to Rexnord Industries — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Rexnord Industries — products may pursue claims through civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess available defendants, applicable trust funds from co-defendants, and the states where claims can be filed most effectively.

Can family members file secondary exposure claims?

Spouses, children, and household members who developed asbestos-related disease through contact with contaminated work clothing brought home by an exposed worker may be eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims. Wrongful-death claims can also be filed by surviving family members of workers who died from asbestos-related disease.

Gaskets

Rexnord Industries / Rexnord Corporation industrial gear reducers, roller chain, conveyor chain, mechanical power-transmission couplings, bearings, and associated Falk Corporation gearbox products (Milwaukee WI)

⚖ Litigation Recordcirca 1930s-1985Plaintiffs alleged that Rexnord Industries and its predecessor Rex Chainbelt / Rexnord Corporation manufactured industrial gear reducers, roller chain, conveyor chain, mechanical couplings, and bearings that used asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, brake and clutch friction material, thermal insulation, and high-temperature seal material; millwrights, maintenance mechanics, and industrial-plant workers were allegedly exposed during gearbox rebuilds, gasket replacement, chain-drive service, and coupling maintenance. Rexnord also acquired Falk Corporation in 1968 (Milwaukee gearbox manufacturer).

Overview Product Facts Trades

Litigation Record: Information below reflects allegations in publicly filed asbestos litigation — plaintiff allegations, not findings of fact.

Product Description

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Rexnord Industries — headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and operating under prior names Rex Chainbelt and Rexnord Corporation — was one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of industrial power-transmission equipment: helical and worm-gear speed reducers, roller chain, engineered conveyor chain, mechanical shaft couplings, industrial bearings, and related mechanical drive products. Rexnord acquired the Falk Corporation (Milwaukee industrial gearbox manufacturer, founded 1892) in 1968, adding Falk-branded gear reducers and couplings to the Rexnord catalog.

Plaintiffs alleged that Rexnord and its Falk gearbox division products used asbestos-containing components in the following ways:

Industrial gear reducers and gearboxes (Rexnord and Falk-branded) allegedly incorporated asbestos-containing gaskets on housing splits, inspection covers, and end-caps, and asbestos-fiber packing at shaft seals in the era before elastomeric seals were standard
Mechanical grid and disc couplings (Falk Steelflex and related Rexnord/Falk coupling lines) allegedly used asbestos-containing gaskets in coupling covers and asbestos-fiber thermal packing where couplings ran adjacent to high-temperature process equipment
Industrial brakes and clutches integrated with Rexnord power-transmission drives allegedly used asbestos-containing friction linings and brake pads
Conveyor chain and drive chain applications in cement plants, paper mills, steel mills, and glass plants allegedly required asbestos-containing gasket and packing service parts at connecting gearboxes and drive housings
Roller-bearing housings on Rexnord industrial bearings allegedly used asbestos-fiber packing and gasket components

Plaintiffs alleged that in the mid-1980s Rexnord’s asbestos-related legal liabilities contributed to corporate restructuring; the current Rexnord Corporation entities are successors that continue in industrial power-transmission products.

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs alleged that the following trades faced asbestos exposure from Rexnord and Falk-division products:

Millwrights rebuilding Rexnord and Falk gearboxes, replacing asbestos housing-split gaskets, and repacking shaft seals
Maintenance mechanics at cement plants, paper mills, steel mills, glass plants, and food-processing plants servicing Rexnord chain-drive and gearbox-drive equipment
Industrial mechanics servicing Rexnord brake and clutch friction assemblies
Pipefitters and steamfitters working on adjacent asbestos-lagged piping around Rexnord gearboxes and drives
Conveyor-line workers and operators working downwind of gearbox and drive service and rebuild activity

If You Worked With Rexnord Industries or Falk Products

If you or a family member serviced Rexnord Industries or Falk Corporation industrial gearboxes, roller chain, conveyor chain, couplings, or brake/clutch equipment — at a Milwaukee-area plant or any industrial plant nationwide — and were exposed to gaskets, packing, or friction linings, you may have a claim.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Product Facts

Trade NameRexnord Industries / Rexnord Corporation industrial gear reducers, roller chain, conveyor chain, mechanical power-transmission couplings, bearings, and associated Falk Corporation gearbox products (Milwaukee WI)

Years Producedcirca 1930s-1985

Asbestos ContentPlaintiffs alleged that Rexnord Industries and its predecessor Rex Chainbelt / Rexnord Corporation manufactured industrial gear reducers, roller chain, conveyor chain, mechanical couplings, and bearings that used asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, brake and clutch friction material, thermal insulation, and high-temperature seal material; millwrights, maintenance mechanics, and industrial-plant workers were allegedly exposed during gearbox rebuilds, gasket replacement, chain-drive service, and coupling maintenance. Rexnord also acquired Falk Corporation in 1968 (Milwaukee gearbox manufacturer).

CategoryGaskets Hvac-Equipment

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

MillwrightsMaintenance MechanicsIndustrial MechanicsPipefitters

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Quick Reference

Yearscirca 1930s-1985

AsbestosPlaintiffs alleged that Rexnord Industries and its predecessor Rex Chainbelt / Rexnord Corporation manufactured industrial gear reducers, roller chain, conveyor chain, mechanical couplings, and bearings that used asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, brake and clutch friction material, thermal insulation, and high-temperature seal material; millwrights, maintenance mechanics, and industrial-plant workers were allegedly exposed during gearbox rebuilds, gasket replacement, chain-drive service, and coupling maintenance. Rexnord also acquired Falk Corporation in 1968 (Milwaukee gearbox manufacturer).

CategoryGaskets

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Rexnord Industries / Rexnord Corporation industrial gear reducers, roller chain, conveyor chain, mechanical power-transmission couplings, bearings, and associated Falk Corporation gearbox products (Milwaukee WI)

Product Description

Workers Exposed

If You Worked With Rexnord Industries or Falk Products

Related

Product Facts

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Were You Exposed to an Asbestos-Containing Product?