Heat & Frost Insulators Local 74 — Des Moines, Iowa

Jurisdiction

Central and Western Iowa — Polk County (Des Moines), Story County (Ames), and the surrounding agricultural-industrial corridor

Local 74 organizes the Heat & Frost Insulators across Central Iowa — anchored by the Des Moines metropolitan area, the state capital and Iowa’s largest insurance and manufacturing center. Members were historically dispatched to MidAmerican Energy generating stations, the John Deere Des Moines Works, the Firestone tire plant, the major Des Moines hospitals, and the insurance-tower high-rises through their construction and refurbishment cycles.

For Iowa’s filing deadlines, primary courts, and the per-state jobsite catalog, see the partner state archive:

Notable workplaces in Local 74 territory

Through the asbestos era (roughly 1920s through early 1980s), Local 74 members were dispatched to facilities throughout Central Iowa — many of which are now documented in federal NESHAP filings, state regulatory databases, and public asbestos litigation records. Major workplaces in the Local 74 historical territory included:

MidAmerican Energy generating stations (Des Moines Energy Center, historical coal plants) · John Deere Des Moines Works · Firestone Tire & Rubber Des Moines plant · Pittsburgh Des Moines Steel · Meredith Corporation printing operations · Wells Fargo and Principal Financial high-rise towers · Mercy Medical Center Des Moines · Iowa Methodist Medical Center · Broadlawns Medical Center · Des Moines Veterans Affairs Medical Center · Iowa State University campus power plant and steam-distribution (Ames) · Solar Aircraft / Engineering Animation manufacturing.

These are categories of workplace, not an exhaustive list. Local 74 dispatch records held by the Local’s business office contain the specific job-by-job assignments for individual members.

Why this Local matters for asbestos claims

The Des Moines insurance-tower construction boom of the 1960s and 1970s created sustained pipe-covering and structural-fireproofing work across multiple downtown high-rises. The Firestone Des Moines plant and the John Deere Des Moines Works are among the most-cited employer categories in Iowa insulator exposure histories.

Products Local 74 insulators handled

Insulators in any jurisdiction worked the same general categories of asbestos-containing products through the asbestos era. The specific manufacturers varied by region, contract, and decade:

  • Pipe covering — Magnesia, calcium silicate, fiberglass-asbestos blends (Owens-Corning Kaylo, Johns-Manville Magnesia, Pittsburgh Corning Unibestos)
  • Block insulation — Calcium silicate or 85% magnesia block (details on AsbestosIndex)
  • Insulating cement — Dry-mixed asbestos cement, hand-applied to joints and irregular fittings — historically the highest-fiber-release product insulators handled
  • Refractory products — High-temperature furnace and boiler linings (refractory brick)
  • Gaskets and packing — Flange gaskets, valve packing
  • Asbestos cloth and millboard — Outer wrapping, fire blankets, jacketing
  • Spray fireproofing — Monokote and competitor products applied to structural steel — heavily used in the Des Moines downtown high-rise construction era

See the Asbestos Products page for the full catalog of products documented in insulator-era exposure.

If you or a family member is a Local 74 insulator

You have one of the most-documented exposure histories of any trade in U.S. occupational-health research. The medical literature has tracked your trade specifically since the 1960s. Your union health funds have actuarial data going back decades. The manufacturers that supplied your jobsites have funded over $30 billion in asbestos bankruptcy trust funds — many of which are still paying claims.

Free, confidential case review with an attorney experienced in insulator asbestos cases:

(314) 588-0558 — O’Brien Law Firm

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

This page documents the historical context of Local 74’s jurisdiction in asbestos exposure research. It is not produced by or endorsed by the International Association of Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers or Local 74. Information is drawn from public asbestos litigation records, federal NESHAP filings, state regulatory databases, and public industry-publication histories. Rights Watch Media Group LLC is an independent media publisher; O’Brien Law Firm is the editorial sponsor of this site.