Sid Harvey Industries and Asbestos 

Sid Harvey Industries is a distributor and manufacturer of HVAC equipment. The company was founded when asbestoswas routinely included in these products. Though the company transitioned away from its use by the late 1970s, countless workers and technicians suffered exposure through contact with the company’s products and developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other life-threatening conditions.

The History of Sid Harvey Industries

Founding and Early Years

Sid Harvey Industries traces its origins back to 1931, when founder Sidney W. Harvey established his business in a small second-floor office in Hempstead, New York. Harvey recognized that traditional coal stove usage would decline as automatic oil heating systems became more popular, and he responded by purchasing 10 oil burners for sale to his clients. By doing so, he established his company as a leader of this emerging market.[1]

Harvey was an entrepreneur whose vision extended beyond equipment distribution. He understood that the growing oil heating market would require reliable replacement parts, so he opened a manufacturing and repair facility in Valley Stream, New York, in 1935. This combination of distribution and manufacturing created a unique business model that distinguished Sid Harvey Industries from its competitors. It enabled the company to stay profitable throughout the challenging years of the Great Depression.

The company published and distributed its first catalog in 1934, and the 20-page publication became an industry standard. It organized parts by function rather than by manufacturer, providing clients with a comprehensive cross-reference tool that made the catalog far more valuable and useful. It ended up being an effective expansion tool. The company’s mail-order business grew so quickly that it led to the establishment of new territories and the hiring of field salespeople. Eventually, the company established multiple branch locations.

Post-War Growth and Expansion

Following World War II, Sid Harvey Industries expanded throughout the northeastern United States. The company initially focused on opening small stores that maintained inventory for fuel oil dealers in the New York metropolitan area, but as coal-to-oil conversions accelerated, company representatives identified opportunities for stocking locations on the periphery of their service territories.

The first regional branches opened in Lynbrook, Jamaica, and Mt. Vernon, New York. From this foundation in the New York area, Sid Harvey Industries followed the geographic distribution of oil heating demand and expanded north toward Boston and south toward Philadelphia.

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

In the 1950s, air conditioning and refrigeration became much more popular. Again recognizing an opportunity, Sid Harvey Industries started purchasing smaller companies that sold the products, starting in 1962, when the company bought a small HVACR supply company in Philadelphia called Victor Sales & Supply. This acquisition provided the company with entry into the growing cooling equipment market.[2]

Further expansion into refrigeration came in 1969 when the company purchased small operations based in Mississippi and Tennessee. This created Sid Harvey’s first authorized Copeland dealerships and put the company into an enviable position of continuing to run its established heating equipment business while also serving the rapidly growing HVACR market. 

The 1970s saw the company experience continued growth, buying up smaller companies while simultaneously opening new locations. In the face of the energy crisis of the early 1970s, Sid Harvey Industries opened branches in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas and made the strategic decision to shift its inventory mix. Reflecting the changing demands of the marketplace, the company added more equipment and refrigeration products, including compressors.

By 1988, Sid Harvey Industries was operating over 100 branches and had sales exceeding $100 million. With locations throughout the South and as far west as the Rocky Mountains, the company is a nationally recognized name in the HVAC distribution industry.

How Sid Harvey Industries Used Asbestos 

Testimony submitted in multiple asbestos lawsuits reveals that Sid Harvey Industries distributed asbestos-containing products from at least 1964 through 1977, the same years that the company was aggressively pursuing expansion and product diversification. Rather than manufacturing asbestos components directly, the company purchased materials like asbestos insulation and cement materials from established suppliers like Combustion Engineering, a company that made asbestos-containing equipment for burning fossil fuels, including boilers, stokers, and coal pulverizing equipment from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s.

Sid Harvey’s decision to include asbestos-containing materials in its equipment was not unusual for the time. Manufacturers valued the advantages the mineral provided for heating and cooling applications, including superior heat resistance, electrical insulation properties, and durability under extreme operating conditions. These characteristics were considered essential for the demanding environments in which HVAC equipment operated, especially since the material’s dangers were not yet widely known. 

Asbestos-contaminated Products Distributed by Sid Harvey

Sid Harvey Industries distributed an extensive range of asbestos-containing parts, including various cement formulations, gaskets, rope products, and insulation materials. The company’s product catalog featured dry insulation cement, furnace cement, refractory cement, asbestos paste, pads, rope, and specialized products, including Stik-Tite cement and rope packing.

The company’s materials were used in both residential and commercial heating systems, as well as industrial boiler installations and commercial air conditioning systems. The company’s role as both distributor and parts manufacturer meant that asbestos-containing components reached a wide range of industries spread across multiple geographic regions. 

Occupational Exposure 

Sid Harvey sold an extensive range of products and was known for its nationwide distribution network. These positive attributes had a dark side: The wide distribution and installation of asbestos-containing products and parts created exposure risks for numerous categories of workers. Hazardous materials were sent to construction sites, industrial facilities, and commercial buildings across multiple states.

Workers across various trades and industries faced exposure as they performed routine job functions. Those most commonly affected included:

• Construction and Installation Personnel 

Construction workers encountered asbestos fibers during the installation of heating and cooling systems that used Sid Harvey products. The process of fitting pipes, installing insulation, and assembling system components frequently involved cutting, shaping, and manipulating materials that released harmful fibers into the laborers’ workplace.

• Maintenance and Service Technicians: 

HVAC service professionals were at the greatest risk, as they were responsible for both maintenance and repair activities. In many lawsuits filed against the company, workers diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases recalled struggling to remove asbestos-containing rope packing and insulation from Sid Harvey equipment and parts, and noted that the materials needed to be scraped and mechanically removed. Both activities generated clouds of asbestos dust that could be inhaled by workers.

• Specialized Trade Workers:

Steamfitters, pipefitters, and machinists working with Sid Harvey equipment regularly encountered asbestos-containing components during installation, maintenance, and repair operations. The placement of asbestos-containing materials inside the company’s equipment made accessing them for service difficult and inevitably led to the hazardous materials being disturbed.

Health Consequences of Asbestos Exposure

People who were exposed to asbestos through contact with Sid Harvey Industries’ products are at heightened risk of developing serious medical conditions. Asbestos has a unique fibrous structure that leads to it breaking down into microscopic particles. These tiny fibers are so lightweight that they become airborne. They can then be inhaled into the respiratory system without the individual realizing that they’re doing it. This mechanism makes even limited exposure potentially dangerous. Making matters worse, symptoms typically don’t appear until 20 to 50 years after contact with the material, long after many victims recall having worked with the carcinogenic material.

Primary Health Conditions Caused by Asbestos Exposure

• Malignant Mesothelioma: 

This aggressive and rare cancer affects the mesothelium, the protective organ that surrounds the lungs, the abdominal organs, and the heart. While advances in treatment approaches have improved patient quality of life and extended survival times for some, mesothelioma continues to be considered a fatal diagnosis.

• Lung Cancer: 

Asbestos exposure significantly increases the risk of developing lung cancer, and the risk is compounded by smoking. These malignant tumors develop within the lung tissue and can metastasize to other body systems.

• Asbestosis: 

This progressive condition involves permanent scarring of lung tissue that gradually impairs breathing capacity. Patients with asbestosis experience increasing respiratory difficulties that can ultimately lead to respiratory failure.

• Pleural Complications: 

Conditions that can affect the lung lining include pleural plaques, fluid accumulation, and tissue thickening. Each of these compromises normal lung function and breathing capacity.

Asbestos Litigation

At the same time that the public became aware that asbestos was carcinogenic, those diagnosed with mesothelioma learned that the companies that had exposed them to the mineral had known of its dangers. Victims filed lawsuits, and Sid Harvey Industries is one among thousands of companies accused of negligently exposing people to asbestos. The company has been named in many personal injury lawsuits filed by workers who developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other serious conditions following exposure to its asbestos-containing products, including.

Lawrence Foreman was a steamfitter who worked at various industrial and commercial construction sites from 1958 to 1983. Foreman’s lawsuit originally named 57 defendants, but by the time the case went to trial, only Sid Harvey Industries and Nibco, Inc. remained as defendants.[3]

During the trial, Foreman described being exposed to asbestos when he installed and removed boilers, pipe valves, and fittings. He identified Sid Harvey Industries as a frequent supplier of asbestos-containing products to his worksites, though he said that some materials arrived without clear labeling.

A former Sid Harvey executive confirmed the company had sold asbestos-containing dry cement, paste, pads, and rope when Foreman was working, and an expert witness testified that Foreman’s cumulative exposure represented “one of the highest lifetime doses” he’d encountered.

The jury found Sid Harvey Industries liable for negligent failure to warn and awarded Foreman $4 million in damages. The case established important legal precedent regarding distributor liability for asbestos-containing products.

Though many asbestos companies have sought bankruptcy protection because of their overwhelming asbestos liabilities, Sid Harvey Industries has continued operating and frequently defends itself against civil claims. The company uses its operating funds for out-of-court settlements or legal defenses rather than establishing an asbestos trust fund. 

Help for Those Diagnosed with Mesothelioma and Other Asbestos-related Diseases

Workers who were exposed to Sid Harvey Industries’ equipment and who have subsequently developed asbestos-related illnesses have the right to seek compensation from the company, but it’s important to work with counsel that has the specific expertise needed to handle the complexities of asbestos litigation.  A mesothelioma lawyer can help you navigate the process of proving both exposure history and medical causation.

Comprehensive Legal Support

Experienced asbestos attorneys can provide essential services, including:

• A comprehensive review of employment records to identify all potential sources of asbestos exposure throughout a worker’s career, including documentation of specific worksites, equipment, and time periods.
• Identification of all potentially responsible parties beyond Sid Harvey Industries, including other equipment manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, and property owners who may be held legally responsible.
• Access to comprehensive databases documenting asbestos use at specific facilities and job sites, providing crucial evidence for establishing exposure claims.
• Coordination with occupational health specialists and medical experts to testify as expert witnesses, establishing the scientific connection between workplace exposure and disease development for legal proceedings.
• Identification and interview of former colleagues and coworkers who can provide testimony regarding workplace conditions, safety practices, and the presence of asbestos-containing materials.

The litigation process can be intimidating, but experienced legal counsel can guide you through each step, explaining the potential for compensation. Their investigations can also reveal exposure to products from manufacturers who have established trust funds, creating additional opportunities for compensation.

As overwhelming as your diagnosis is, you must act quickly. There are mandated time limits called statutes of limitations that control how long victims have to file personal injury claims, including asbestos claims. Once these deadlines have passed, victims have far fewer options and opportunities. Given these constraints and the complexity of proving historical exposure, prompt contact with an asbestos attorney is essential for preserving your legal rights and maximizing potential compensation for you and your family.