Frick Company, headquartered in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, was one of the United States’ foremost manufacturers of industrial refrigeration compressors and complete refrigeration systems for the mid-twentieth century. Frick refrigeration compressors were installed aboard United States Navy vessels — in ship provision refrigeration systems, aviation stores cooling systems, and crew habitability cooling systems — as well as at naval shore facilities including naval supply centers, naval air stations, and naval station refrigeration plants. According to asbestos litigation records, Frick refrigeration compressor assemblies incorporated asbestos-containing shaft packing in compressor stuffing boxes and the refrigerant suction line piping systems serving Frick compressors used asbestos pipe covering insulation to prevent moisture condensation and heat gain, creating asbestos exposure for Machinist’s Mates and refrigeration plant operators who maintained Frick compressor installations.

Company History

Frick Company was founded in 1853 in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania and grew to become one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of industrial refrigeration equipment over the following century. The company supplied reciprocating and centrifugal refrigeration compressors for industrial cold storage, food processing, chemical process, and marine refrigeration applications, with Frick compressor systems installed aboard Navy vessels and at Navy shore facilities throughout the mid-twentieth century.

Frick compressor stuffing boxes — the shaft sealing mechanism at the point where the compressor crankshaft or drive shaft exits the compressor housing — used asbestos-containing braided or compressed packing as the shaft seal material through the mid-1970s. Additionally, the low-temperature suction lines connecting evaporator coils to Frick compressors were insulated with asbestos pipe covering to prevent surface condensation and heat gain on the low-pressure refrigerant suction piping. Machinist’s Mates and refrigeration plant operators performing compressor maintenance and suction line insulation repairs encountered asbestos-containing materials at Frick compressor stuffing boxes and suction line insulation.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Frick refrigeration compressor systems incorporated asbestos-containing materials in shaft packing and suction line insulation.

Compressor Shaft Stuffing Box Packing

Plaintiffs alleged in asbestos lawsuits that Frick refrigeration compressors incorporated asbestos-containing braided or compressed packing in the compressor shaft stuffing boxes. Compressor shaft packing required periodic replacement as the packing compressed and shaft leakage developed. Machinist’s Mates and refrigeration operators repacking Frick compressor stuffing boxes removed and replaced the asbestos-containing shaft packing material during each repacking operation, with direct handling of the old asbestos packing during removal releasing asbestos fiber.

Refrigerant Suction Line Pipe Insulation

The refrigerant suction piping systems serving Frick compressors incorporated asbestos pipe covering insulation on the low-temperature suction lines. Maintenance personnel repairing or replacing suction line insulation on Frick refrigeration systems disturbed the asbestos pipe covering material during insulation repair and replacement work.

Occupational Exposure

Navy Machinist’s Mates and Refrigeration Plant Operators

The primary exposure population for Frick compressor asbestos materials consists of Navy Machinist’s Mates who maintained shipboard refrigeration systems incorporating Frick compressors, and refrigeration plant operators at naval shore facilities who operated and maintained Frick compressor installations. According to asbestos litigation records, compressor stuffing box repacking was a routine maintenance task required periodically throughout each Frick compressor’s operating life, creating repeated direct handling exposure to asbestos shaft packing material for the maintenance personnel who performed the repacking operations.

Naval Shore Facility Maintenance Workers

Maintenance mechanics at naval shore installations — naval supply centers, naval air stations, and naval station refrigeration plants — who maintained Frick refrigeration compressor installations encountered asbestos-containing packing and insulation materials during compressor maintenance and refrigerant line insulation work.

Frick Company has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation brought by workers who maintained Frick refrigeration compressor installations in naval and industrial settings. No asbestos bankruptcy trust fund has been established for Frick Company. Workers and families with Frick-related asbestos claims must pursue compensation through the civil litigation system.

If you or a family member developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis after maintaining Frick refrigeration compressors aboard Navy vessels or at naval shore facilities:

  • No bankruptcy trust exists for Frick Company. Claims require civil litigation.
  • Maritime claimants — Navy Machinist’s Mates — may have options under admiralty and maritime law.
  • Multiple defendants are typically named; asbestos packing and pipe insulation manufacturers (such as Garlock and Owens Corning) who supplied materials used in Frick systems may have asbestos bankruptcy trusts.
  • Service records documenting Machinist’s Mate rating, refrigeration plant maintenance duties, and vessel or shore station assignment can establish exposure history.