Asbestos remains one of the biggest contributors to workplace-related deaths in the UK. Even today, people remain unaware of the fact that it can be years after contact with asbestos before any symptoms make themselves apparent. It is not uncommon for employees to have worked for several employers over their adult life that have allowed them to work in environments leading to their exposure to harmful dust.
Given the lengthy timeframe for the effects of asbestos to reveal themselves, the businesses an affected person may have once worked for might no longer exist, and the insurance records might not either. If the former employers who are potentially liable for an individual’s exposure to asbestos can’t be traced, those affected most can be denied full compensation; each employer only has to compensate for their own part in allowing conditions where employees have been harmed.
You can read more about the dangers of asbestos on the HSE’s website here:
As of 2006, Parliament passed the Compensation Act. This allows those affected by mesothelioma to receive full compensation, even if former employers can’t be found. At this time, lung cancer claims were not considered, and the judiciary has since stated that mesothelioma and lung cancer cannot be distinguished legally.
Now, industrial disease experts are united in declaring this inconsistency must be addressed for the well-being of asbestos-related cancer sufferers. Many industrial disease experts agree that the reason for treating mesothelioma sufferers and those affected by asbestos-related lung cancer differently is hard to justify due to the fact the symptoms are similar. The two are also related so far as the cause (through negligent exposure) is the same, as well as the prognosis. Regrettably, only a small amount of deaths caused by either disease results in a compensation claim for cancer.
Asbestos-related diseases are Still the UK’s Number One Workplace Killer
Sufferers of mesothelioma need only find one negligent former employer to claim full compensation – the responsible insurer then carries out the search for the others so that money may be recovered. We at Bridge McFarland believe victims of asbestos-related lung cancer deserve the same. Regardless of being banned in 1999, asbestos still causes around 5000 deaths every year in England and Wales. The UK has one of the highest rates for mesothelioma rates in the world, and given that nearly 1,000,000 domestic (and around 3000,000 non-domestic) buildings still contain asbestos, it is easy to see why.
Asbestos-related diseases remain even now the number one cause of death in UK workplaces. Campaigners are still actively pleading with governments and employers to do more to protect employees and the public at large from asbestos. You can read some of our previous articles on this topic:
To read APIL’s full story and statement, click here: Change needed for Workers with Asbestos Cancer.
Compensation Claims and Asbestos and Mesothelioma Solicitors
Have you been diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer or another asbestos-related disease? Quickly seeking the appropriate legal advice is crucial in giving yourself the best chance at receiving the compensation you rightfully deserve.
Bridge McFarland LLP has dedicated teams of personal injury lawyers in Lincoln, Hull, Market Rasen, Grimsby, and Scarborough. They help clients locally and across the UK with asbestos exposure claims.
With specialist accreditations from The Law Society, Legal 500, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and Lexcel, you can be confident that the Personal Injury team at Bridge McFarland LLP will represent your case to ensure you get the outcome you deserve.
If you have recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis or another asbestos-related disease, we can assist you. Please call 01482 320620 or fill out this contact form.
We also run Asbestos Awareness, a website dedicated to informing and educating about the implications of asbestos exposure and asbestos-related diseases. Read more here.
