Asbestos Justice have settled a claim for pleural thickening compensation for Mr A.
Mr A was employed as a fitter and then later as a foreman working for British Steel at the Llanwern Steel Works in 1962 under Richard Thomas & Baldwins Ltd. This later became part of the British Steel Corporation. He left his employment in 1982 and subsequently, British Steel later became Tata Steel UK Limited.
Mr A started his work for the company when the plant was in the process of being constructed. There were boilers and steam pipes running throughout the plant, all of which had to be insulated. This was done using pre-formed lengths of asbestos. Mr A recalls laggers working above him, they would cut the asbestos and asbestos dust would fall down onto him. Even after the plant had been finished there were always laggers present maintaining and repairing damaged lagging. He would work near to the laggers while they were using the asbestos insulation.
As a fitter, Mr A would use asbestos rope to form a seal between the boilers and the hood over the converter. In his detailed witness statement he described the asbestos rope measuring around 4 inches in diameter, which came in a coil type shape. Mr A would unravel the coil and the rope would measure around 30 feet in length. He would use a 4 pound hammer to knock the asbestos rope into the opening between the boiler and the hood. The rope had to go all around the opening and as the he knocked it into place asbestos fibres would be released. The asbestos lagging on the boiler would become damaged by this work and would crumble. Mr A described being covered with asbestos fibres and dust after completing this job.
In addition, Mr A provided further evidence in support of his pleural thickening claim in his statement. He had to maintain the cranes at the plant. He advised that there were at least 12 cranes and he would have to replace the brakes. Each crane had between 12 to 20 or more brake shoes, they were calliper brakes and the shoes were made out of asbestos materials. They would need to be replaced at least 3 to 4 times a week and there would be at least 4 fitters on a crane each day changing brake shoes and doing other maintenance. There were brakes all over the cranes to stop all of the moving parts, not just to stop the crane from moving around the plant. The brake shoes would wear down each time the brakes were applied, this would create asbestos dust which would fall out of the shoes and settle on the surface of the crane. When Mr A worked on the cranes he would be covered in asbestos dust and had to brush it aside to do his work which resulted in the harmful material rising up into the air. The asbestos dust would cover his overalls, skin and hair and the asbestos dust would circulate through the plant. Before installing the new brake shoe it would need to be filed down and in doing this, further asbestos dust would be released into Mr A’s working environment. It would take about 30 minutes to replace a set of brake shoes. Mr A would also replace the brake shoes in mixers in the same way as those on the cranes.
As was common in Mr A’s era of employment, he was never warned of the dangers of working with asbestos materials nor was he ever provided with any form of mask to protect him from breathing in the harmful fibres.
As a result of his significant asbestos exposure, Mr A unfortunately developed asbestos related pleural thickening as well as a build up of fluid around the base of his lung known as a pleural effusion which could also be connected to his previous history of asbestos exposure in the workplace.
Mr A’s pleural thickening claim was settled on a provisional damages basis for £15,000.00, leaving the door open for him to claim further asbestos compensation if his health ever deteriorated.
In particular, Asbestos Justice secured peace of mind of mind for Mr A in his pleural thickening claim as it was agreed with Tata Steel’s representatives that Mr A would be able to return to claim further monies due if he ever had the misfortune of developing more serious asbestos related complaints such as asbestos related mesothelioma or lung cancer.
If you require assistance in pursuing a pleural thickening claim or are concerned about asbestos exposure you experienced when working in the steel industry, please contact us today on our freephone number 0800 038 6767. Alternatively, head over to the ‘Contact Us’ page, complete the form and we will be in touch.