Death caused by exposure to asbestos

At the end of last month the British Safety Council highlighted a case where an electrician lost his life due to exposure to asbestos while rewiring a police station. His widow received £250,000 compensation.

Here's the detail from the British Safety Council post:

The 64-year-old man from Trowbridge was exposed to asbestos while working as an electrical fitter for Southern Electrical Contracting Limited.

The man was diagnosed with the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma in March 2008 and died just five months later.

Before he died, he described how he came into contact with asbestos when rewiring Frome Police Station. In a recorded statement he said,

“I remember clearly that we had to work in cramped conditions. As a result we knocked and leaned against the asbestos lagged piping which meant parts would break off. We did not have any protective equipment but there was asbestos dust everywhere.”

Following his diagnosis, he contacted his union Unite which instructed its lawyers to investigate the claim. Thompsons Solicitors brought the case to a conclusion for compensation of £250,000 and the man’s widow, who does not wish to be named, received the compensation with the former employer, Southern Electrical Contracting Limited, admitting negligently exposing the man to asbestos during the 1970s.

Asbestos will continue to be a substance contractors have to deal with for many years to come. We run regular training sessions called Asbestos & Demolition Safety Awareness which ensure you have the knowledge required to work with asbestos while you and your staff remain safe at all times.

The next Asbestos & Demolition Safety Awareness course runs on the 17th July. Contact Harpreet for details and further dates.