Mesothelioma Bill

Monday 20th May saw MPs vote on the Mesothelioma Bill which is intended to create a last-resort fund for those sufferers unable to obtain compensation because the insurance companies who insured their employers are no longer trading. The Government thinks that Mesothelioma cases will peak in 2015, but the HSE thought that they would peak in 2010 and they were wrong, and many sufferers will be unable to claim compensation. If the Bill is passed it will open up a £355 million compensation fund which the Government hopes will compensate around 3,500 people.

According the The Sun, Welfare minister Lord Freud said: "There has been a terrible injustice that previous governments could not fix".

Our view here at C&D is that UK Governments have since the 1920's failed to address the appaling loss of life to mesothelioma and the lack of training for those most at risk. C&D deliver both the NDTG Asbestos Awareness course as well as our own to demolition companies nationwide, but we rarely deliver the course to those that need it most. HSE statistics show that the trades most at risk are:-

• Electricians
• Plumbers
• Gas Fitters
• Painters & Decorators
• Joiners
• Plasterers

Let us hope that the Bill is passed and that publicity will increase awareness of the dangers from asbestos and that increased awareness will lead to more people being trained and more masks being worn where there is a possibility that asbestos could be present.

Remember, wearing a mask can save your life as we reminded the industry in this short toolbox talk.