Xerox – Webster Plant

The Xerox Corporation is best known for its color and black and white copiers. In recent years, Xerox has evolved into providing printers, scanners and multifunction devices. Xerox also sells document management software and copier supplies, and it offers document management outsourcing services as well.

Xerox was founded in Rochester, New York, in 1906 as the Haloid Company. Originally, Haloid manufactured photographic paper, but, in 1947, it acquired Chester Carlson’s (the inventor of xerography) basic xerographic patents and expanded into manufacturing photocopiers. In 1948, the Haloid Company trademarked the word Xerox, and one year later, in 1949, the first xerographic copier was introduced to the world. In 1960, Xerox established its research and engineering facility in Webster, New York. This facility also manufactured Xerox copiers and toner. In 1961, Haloid officially changed its name to Xerox Corporation. In 1968, Xerox completed its thirty story corporate headquarters, Xerox Tower, in downtown, Rochester, New York. Since the company’s inception, Xerox has become a huge global corporation with over 130,000 employees; offices in 160 countries; and over $22 billion in revenue in 2009.

Asbestos Exposure at Xerox’s Webster, New York Plant

In 1960, Xerox established its research and engineering facility in Webster, New York. Xerox’s plant in Webster, like many built prior to the late 1970s, incorporated asbestos-containing insulation, joint compound, drywall and fireproofing materials into its construction. Asbestos-containing materials were also utilized in day-to-day plant operations. Exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestos-containing pipe covering lined steam and return lines. Asbestos cement, refractory brick and block insulation covered the inside and outside of boilers and associated piping. Asbestos-containing gaskets and packing were used in pumps. Due to normal wear and tear, these materials were removed and reapplied, and, in the process, emitted dangerous levels of asbestos dust and fibers that contractors, maintenance personnel and workers inhaled.

Many Xerox employees and independent contractors, including pipe coverers, bricklayers, plasterers, roofers, sheet metal workers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, drywallers, and mechanical contractors were exposed to asbestos dust and fibers during construction and maintenance of the Webster facility. Workers who handled asbestos-containing materials and those who worked in the vicinity have an elevated risk of developing mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC represents former workers and retirees from Xerox. In the process of representing these workers and their families, we have gathered a vast amount of information concerning the types of asbestos-containing materials to which our clients were exposed. If you or a loved one were once employed at Xerox and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, we urge you to contact us regarding your legal rights.

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