Westinghouse Electric — Bloomington Refrigerator Division in Bloomington IN

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that they were allegedly exposed to asbestos while working at the Westinghouse Bloomington Refrigerator Division plant in Bloomington Indiana. This page documents the Bloomington portion of Westinghouse’s multi-state industrial footprint. For the full corporate summary, see the Westinghouse manufacturer page.

Plant Description and Operating Era

Westinghouse relocated its refrigerator production to Bloomington in 1943, and the Bloomington Refrigerator Division became one of the largest single-site household-refrigerator plants in the United States, employing several thousand workers at peak. The plant produced Westinghouse-branded household and commercial refrigerators and freezers through Westinghouse’s 1975 divestiture of major appliances, then continued under White Consolidated / White-Westinghouse until closure in 1979.

Premises ACM Narrative

At the Westinghouse Bloomington Refrigerator plant during the U.S. asbestos era (approximately 1943-1979), plaintiffs allegedly encountered:

  • Asbestos pipe covering on steam mains, refrigeration test lines, and utility piping
  • Asbestos-block hot-side lagging on paint-cure and enameling ovens, brazing furnaces, and heat-treat equipment
  • Asbestos-molded De-Ion arc chute plates in Westinghouse switchgear supporting plant electrical distribution
  • Asbestos-fabric electrical winding insulation on Westinghouse-produced hermetic-compressor motors, refrigerator relays, and appliance transformer coils
  • Asbestos sheet gaskets at process piping, boiler flanges, and refrigerant-line manifolds
  • Asbestos-cement bulkhead panels in electrical rooms and test-cell areas
  • Asbestos sprayed fireproofing on structural steel throughout the multi-story assembly halls (pre-1973 EPA ban)
  • Refrigerator-specific pathway — asbestos-cement door and cabinet-liner panels, asbestos-millboard insulation behind compressor shrouds, and asbestos-wick insulation inside chest and upright freezer chassis assembled at Bloomington

Workers Exposed

  • HFIAW Insulators — asbestos pipe covering and block insulation
  • UA Pipefitters — flange bolt-up on steam, refrigerant, and process lines
  • IBB Boilermakers — powerhouse boiler work
  • IBEW Electricians — switchgear, motor control, and refrigerator test-line work
  • BAC Bricklayers — refractory work on enameling and brazing furnaces
  • IUE / United Electrical Workers (UE) — production-line refrigerator assemblers, brazers, and machine operators
  • Millwrights — assembly-line, press, and compressor test-stand installation

If You Worked at Westinghouse Bloomington

If you or a family member worked at the Westinghouse Bloomington Refrigerator plant — or any other Westinghouse 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