WORK-RELATED ILLNESS - ASBESTOS

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral and its properties led to it being widely used for insulation and fireproofing in all sorts of ways. Amongst other places, it was commonly found in ceiling tiles, loft insulation, wall panels, pipe lagging, cement products and the insulation around electrical wiring.

Although the authorities in the UK sought to draw a distinction between the different types of asbestos (blue asbestos, the form then thought to be the most dangerous, wasn’t used in the UK after 1970), that position wasn’t followed everywhere. In 1998, the Health and Safety Executive moved to tighten the rules relating to white asbestos.

A recent study jointly conducted by the Health and Safety Executive and Cancer Research UK sets out some horrifying statistics in relation to the potential impact of exposure to asbestos fibres:-

  • the diseases associated with asbestos are responsible for more work-related deaths in the UK than anything else
  • the UK death rate from one of the asbestos-related cancers is the highest in the world
  • subject to their age and exposure, around 10% of joiners and nearly 7% of plumbers, electricians and painters will contract asbestos related cancer
  • cancer caused by asbestos kills more than 75 people every week in the UK

The illnesses caused by exposure to asbestos fibres can include: asbestosis (scarring of the lung tissue that results in a shortness of breath and an increased risk of lung cancer); lung cancer; mesothelioma (cancer within the lining of the body’s internal organs); pleural effusion (excessive fluid around the lungs); and pleural plaques (scarring of the internal organs that is associated with an increased risk of developing mesothelioma or one of the other fatal conditions).

Until a vote in the Scottish Parliament in March 2009, sufferers of pleural plaques had been denied the right to compensation but that position has now changed if the exposure to asbestos happened in Scotland.

The general provisions about all industrial diseases apply to workers who develop work-related mesothelioma, asbestosis or one of the other asbestos-related diseases. Workers have both general and statutory duties owed to them by their employer and, if there is a breach of those duties which results in a worker developing an asbestos related disease, that worker may be entitled to compensation from the employer. That entitlement continues after the employment finishes.

If you’re unsure whether you may have a valid compensation claim for a work-related illness caused by asbestos, call us now on 0333 900 0333 to discuss how we can help or simply fill in the CALL ME box and we’ll ring you. Alternatively, you can start your claim immediately by answering a few simple questions on the CLAIM NOW page and we’ll do the rest.

Remember – If you suffer a work-related disease caused by asbestos in Scotland, your compensation claim is best dealt with by Scottish specialists and you won’t pay a penny for our help, whatever happens.