General Electric — Main Plant in Schenectady NY

Plaintiffs allegedly, in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation, were exposed to asbestos while working at the General Electric Main Plant (Steam Turbine and Power Generation headquarters) in Schenectady NY. This page documents the Schenectady portion of GE’s multi-state industrial footprint. For the full corporate summary and other GE plants, see the General Electric manufacturer page.

Plant Description and Operating Era

The GE Schenectady Main Plant, sometimes referred to as “Building 273” and the broader “GE Works,” has operated in one form or another since the 1892 formation of General Electric from the Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company. Schenectady was for decades the flagship of GE’s power-generation, steam-turbine, generator, and heavy-electrical business — at peak, tens of thousands of workers were employed on the campus. Steam turbine, large generator, and switchgear manufacturing continued on portions of the site into the present, though many mid-century buildings have been retired, demolished, or repurposed.

Premises ACM Narrative

Plaintiffs allegedly, in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation, alleged that during the U.S. asbestos era (approximately 1930s-1980) the GE Schenectady Main Plant allegedly involved asbestos-containing materials across the following pathways:

  • Asbestos pipe covering on steam mains, process piping, and utility lines throughout the manufacturing bays, test cells, and powerhouse
  • Asbestos-block hot-side lagging on steam-turbine test stands, heat-treat ovens, and induction-heating equipment
  • Asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in plant switchgear, motor control centers, and load contactors
  • Asbestos sheet gaskets at process piping, boiler, and heat exchanger flanges
  • Asbestos-cement roofing and asbestos-fabric roof insulation on manufacturing bays and warehouses
  • Asbestos sprayed fireproofing on structural steel columns and floor decking (pre-1973 EPA ban)
  • Asbestos-fabric electrical winding insulation on GE-manufactured steam turbines, large generators, and transformers during production, testing, and rework
  • Asbestos block insulation and cloth blanket wrap on steam-turbine casings during final assembly, test-cell operation, and pre-shipment lagging

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly alleged that trade workers at the GE Schenectady Main Plant during the asbestos era included:

  • HFIAW Insulators — asbestos pipe covering and block insulation on steam and process lines
  • UA Pipefitters — flange bolt-up and gasket work on process piping
  • IBB Boilermakers — powerhouse boiler and heat-treat furnace refractory work
  • IBEW Electricians — plant switchgear, motor-control center, and rewind-shop work
  • BAC Bricklayers — refractory relining on manufacturing furnaces
  • IUE / GE Salaried and hourly production workers — steam-turbine assembly, generator winding, testing, rework
  • Millwrights — machine tool installation and heavy manufacturing equipment work

If You Worked at GE Schenectady

If you or a family member worked at the GE Schenectady Main Plant in Schenectady NY — or any other GE manufacturing site — before 1980 and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim.

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