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We are a firm of specialist industrial disease
solicitors who offer advice on
compensation claims for
workers injured following exposure to asbestos.
More people die in Britain from asbestos linked
cancer than are killed in road accidents. Up to 2000
people die each year because of related conditions such
as mesothelioma.
Find out more about
asbestos claim
awards and how we can
help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
We can advise you on claims arising from employment
carried out in key industrial towns such as Manchester,
Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, Bradford, Hull, Bristol,
Cardiff, Newport, Newcastle, Sunderland and the North
East.
Background
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral and until
the 1970s asbestos was extensively used for many
different purposes.
Asbestos was often mixed with other materials as well
as being used on its own. Asbestos has thermal
insulation qualities and heat retardant properties and
this encouraged its widespread use during most of the
20th century. It was made into paper, cloth, tape,
felt, yarn, millboards, cement, flat sheets and
wallboards. Consequently, materials and components
containing asbestos were used throughout industry and
also at home.
For example:
Asbestos was used as an insulating material lagging
on pipes and boilers.
Cloth was used in aprons, curtains, ironing board
covers and floor linings.
Sheets and materials were used extensively in factory
buildings, farm buildings and domestic houses, such as
asbestos insulation boards, roofing, ceiling tiles,
fascia boards and guttering.
More about Asbestos
disability claims:
Inhaling asbestos dust and fibres can result in
suffering serious and sometimes fatal diseases, however
the diseases seldom appear until 20 years or more after
breathing the asbestos dust.
The related diseases are:
a) Pleural
thickening - This is thickening of the lining of the
lung and can cause impairment of the functioning of the
lung. Therefore it can result in breathlessness and
difficulty breathing.
b) Asbestosis
- This is fibrosis or scarring of the lungs and this
causes increasing breathlessness and coughing.
c) Lung disease
or cancer - Exposure to asbestos can increase the
risk of developing lung cancer and can cause lung
cancer.
d)
Mesothelioma - This is a fatal cancer of the lining
of the lung or abdomen
The scientific view is that there is no safe level of
exposure to asbestos dust. Related diseases such as
mesothelioma can be caused by very low levels of
exposure to asbestos dust.
Read more on
symptoms
following exposure to asbestos and also
asbestos
compensation case studies. It is now generally held by the courts that from 1965
onwards employers should have known that exposing their
employees to even low levels of asbestos dust created a
significant health risk of employees suffering asbestos
related cancers and therefore precautions must be taken
to avoid exposing employees to asbestos dust.
Prior to
1965 it was known by employers that dusts in the
workplace caused chest diseases and therefore
precautions should be taken to avoid employees inhaling
dusts. However, it is generally accepted by courts that
before 1965 employers did not know that inhaling only
small amounts of asbestos could cause lung cancer.
Health & Safety Video
Watch HSE video on a "Life cut short
because of asbestos"
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/campaign/video.htm
We can also help you with
accident at work
compensation
More information:
Read a detailed summary and background of the
law relating to asbestos in the workplace.
In asbestos related disease compensation
claims different types of claims can be made depending
on the circumstances of the person making the claim.
More here on no win no fee
asbestos compensation.
A person who has developed pleural thickening or
asbestosis may wish to settle his or her claim on a
provisional damages basis. This means that they receive
an immediate payment of compensation, however if in the
future the respiratory disease caused by the asbestos
exposure significantly deteriorates, they can re-open
their claim and claim a second sum of compensation from
the same defendant. The sum of compensation for the
provisional award is less than if the claim was settled
on a full and final basis because of the person’s
entitlement to re-start the claim at a later date if
there is a significant deterioration in the asbestos
related disease.
WORK RELATED ASBESTOS NEWS
Provisional figures of work-related fatal injuries in
Great Britain issued by the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) this week reveal that 228 workers lost their lives
as a result of accidents/incidents at work in 2007/08 -
4th July 2008 Government told to speed up the legal process
currently assessing whether work related victims of
pleural plaques were entitled to compensation -
1st July 2008
Westminster legal advisers are trying to hammer out a
deal which will allow for sufferers to be compensated by
way of a one of payment (around £5000). At this point
case law falls in favour of insurers who say that the
condition itself is symptomless and does not prevent
people from working.
A full consultation document will be released soon
followed by a period of 12 weeks debate before further
progress will be made. Campaigners are unhappy at the
slow progress being made.
Useful links:
Health & Safety Executive come in for criticism
for increase in deaths at work -
Direct Gov -
Asbestos related disease statistics from HSE -
Use of
asbestos in the workplace
If your employer has failed to prevent or
safeguard against your injuries then you may be entitled
to make a claim.
Legal advice covering the whole of the UK -
including Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham,
Bradford, Hull, Bristol, Cardiff, Newport, Liverpool &
Merseyside, Newcastle, Sunderland and the North East.
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