Why Eskom workers have a strong US-nexus exposure profile
Through the 1960s and 1970s, two US manufacturers — Johns-Manville and Owens Corning — dominated the global market for high-temperature calcium-silicate pipe and block insulation. Eskom's massive power-station build-out during this period imported the bulk of its boiler and steam-line lagging from these US suppliers because no domestic SA manufacturer could meet the volume and technical specification. Eskom workers from the construction era through the 2008 SA asbestos ban accumulated exposure to US-manufactured asbestos products that the trust funds now compensate at the same scheduled values paid to US-resident workers.
Eskom's Build-Out: A Major US Asbestos Import Programme
Eskom (the Electricity Supply Commission, established 1923) entered a sustained expansion programme in the 1960s to support South Africa's industrial growth, urbanisation, and growing electricity demand. Between 1961 and 2001, Eskom commissioned more than twenty major thermal generating units across the Highveld coal belt of Mpumalanga and into Limpopo. Each station required vast quantities of high-temperature pipe and block insulation for the boilers, steam mains, superheater and reheater piping, turbine runs, feedwater systems, and auxiliary equipment.
South African manufacturing capacity in the relevant insulation categories was limited. Locally produced asbestos cement was widely used for low-grade applications (sheeting, pipe), but the calcium-silicate-based block and pipe-covering insulation specified for high-temperature service was an imported product through the 1960s and 1970s. Johns-Manville's Thermobestos pipe covering and Owens Corning's Kaylo calcium-silicate block were the dominant specified products on most Eskom contracts in this window. Combustion Engineering and Foster Wheeler boilers — both US manufacturers, also extensively used by Eskom — came with US-spec asbestos lagging packages.
The Stations and Their US-Insulation Eras
The following Eskom stations and their commissioning windows constitute the main US-product exposure footprint. Workers at each typically have viable US trust fund claims:
- Komati (commissioned 1961-1966, decommissioned 2022) — Mpumalanga. Eskom's transition to the modern Highveld coal belt; first-generation US-insulation specifications.
- Camden (commissioned 1967-1969, mothballed and recommissioned) — Mpumalanga. 1960s US-spec insulation.
- Hendrina (commissioned 1970-1976) — Mpumalanga. Heavy US-spec block and pipe-covering era.
- Arnot (commissioned 1971-1975) — Mpumalanga. Peak US-spec insulation period.
- Kriel (commissioned 1976-1979) — Mpumalanga. US-spec specifications continued.
- Matla (commissioned 1979-1983) — Mpumalanga. Transitional period; legacy US-spec specifications on much of the unit equipment.
- Duvha (commissioned 1980-1984) — Mpumalanga. Combustion Engineering boilers.
- Tutuka (commissioned 1985-1990) — Mpumalanga. Construction-era exposures for boiler insulators and pipefitters.
- Lethabo (commissioned 1985-1990) — Free State. Same construction-era exposure profile.
- Matimba (commissioned 1987-1991) — Limpopo. Air-cooled station with extensive steam-line lagging.
- Kendal (commissioned 1988-1993) — Mpumalanga.
- Majuba (commissioned 1996-2001) — Mpumalanga. Late construction era; legacy supplier specifications.
Older stations decommissioned earlier in Eskom's history (Highveld stations such as the original Klip, Salt River, and other pre-1960 stations) also exposed earlier generations of workers. Workers at these older stations and at Eskom's regional Bains Hill, Vereeniging, and similar facilities should not assume they fall outside scope.
Asbestos Exposure Pathways at Eskom Power Stations
- Construction-phase boiler insulation installation. Boiler insulators applied calcium-silicate block to boiler walls, superheater headers, reheater headers, and the surrounding pressure-part structure. Cutting and fitting the block generated heavy airborne fibre. This was the highest-intensity exposure category in Eskom's history.
- Pipe-covering installation on steam mains, hotwell piping, feedwater heaters, and condensate return. Johns-Manville Thermobestos pipe covering installation involves cutting, fitting, and wiring the half-shells in place — heavy direct exposure for both the insulator and any nearby trades.
- Turbine lagging — wrapping turbine casings and steam chest with asbestos blanket and block insulation.
- Gasket and packing work on valves, manways, and flange connections during commissioning and ongoing maintenance — Garlock CAF gaskets and asbestos-fibre packings.
- Maintenance disturbance across the operational life of the station. Insulation degrades, gets damaged during planned and unplanned outages, and requires removal and replacement. Every outage at a US-spec-insulated station generated fresh exposure for maintenance crews through the 2008 ban and even after, where legacy material remained in place.
- Refractory work on boiler combustion-chamber linings, ash hoppers, and ducting — asbestos-cement millboard, refractory rope, and similar products.
- Electrical and instrument work in proximity to disturbed insulation, plus direct exposure to asbestos-insulated wiring, asbestos panel boards, and asbestos cable trays.
- Welding and grinding near or through lagged piping — bystander exposure to disturbed insulation.
- Demolition and decommissioning of older stations (Komati 2022, others underway) — workers and contractors on the decommissioning crews encounter the legacy US-product asbestos in bulk.
Job Categories With Viable US Claims
- Boiler insulators (laggers) — Eskom direct and contractor
- Pipefitters and welders
- Mechanical fitters and millwrights
- Boilermakers
- Turbine maintenance technicians
- Electricians and instrument technicians
- Refractory installers and bricklayers (boiler chamber)
- Scaffolders and riggers
- Plant operators (control room and field) with field presence during outage work
- Engineering and supervisory staff with field walk-down responsibilities
- Cleaning and outage support contractors
- Demolition and decommissioning contractors at the older stations
Many Eskom workers accumulated exposure across multiple stations as they rotated through the workforce, were transferred between stations, or worked for contractors mobilising to successive build-out projects. Multi-station exposure histories strengthen claims because they expand the qualifying-product set.
US Trust Funds Most Likely to Pay an Eskom Claim
- Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust — Johns-Manville Thermobestos pipe covering and associated calcium-silicate products. The principal trust for Eskom claims.
- Owens Corning Fibreboard Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — Kaylo high-temperature calcium-silicate block and pipe insulation, widely specified for Eskom boilers.
- Pittsburgh Corning (PCC) Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — Unibestos pipe and block insulation.
- Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — B&W-design boilers and refractory.
- Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust — CE boilers and refractory systems used in multiple Eskom stations.
- Foster Wheeler Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — Foster Wheeler boilers and economisers.
- Garlock Sealing Technologies Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — Compressed-asbestos gaskets and packings.
- W.R. Grace Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — Monokote fireproofing on structural steel.
- Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — Certain gasket and packing brands.
Documentation Specific to Eskom Power-Station Claims
- Eskom employment letter, pay slips, or pension statements identifying the specific station(s) and dates
- Contractor employment records (Murray & Roberts, Group Five, Concor, Grinaker, Roberts Construction, smaller specialist insulators)
- Outage scope-of-work documents, work orders, or job cards naming the equipment serviced
- Co-worker affidavits
- Trade-union records (NUMSA, NUM, the historic Mine Workers' Union, Solidarity)
- Medical records confirming the diagnosis
- Photographs of the workplace, equipment, or product packaging
- Historical Eskom procurement specifications (available through SA National Archives)
Why Eskom Workers Are Often Overlooked
Eskom workers do not typically appear in the major SA-domestic asbestos-litigation history because Eskom itself has been largely a downstream user — not a producer or distributor — of asbestos. The Asbestos Relief Trust does not cover power-station workers. Local litigation against Eskom for occupational asbestos exposure has been limited. The US trust fund pathway is therefore often the only viable compensation route for Eskom workers and their families.
Given the size of the Eskom workforce across the 1961-2008 asbestos-active period — tens of thousands of direct employees plus a much larger contractor population — the unrecovered claim pool from this cohort is substantial. Family members of deceased Eskom workers should be especially encouraged to review eligibility, as bringing claims on behalf of deceased exposed workers is fully supported under US trust fund procedures.