Asbestos Justice dealt with a pleural thickening claim for Mr A who was diagnosed with the asbestos related condition after suffering asbestos exposure throughout the course of his working life with one employer.
Mr A was employed as a fitter and later as a foreman. He was employed at Llanwern Steel Works from 1962 onwards under Richard Thomas & Baldwins Ltd, which later became part of the British Steel Corporation, now known as Tata Steel UK Limited. He left this employment in 1982 approximately. We have pursued many successful asbestos claims against this party.
Our client started his employment with the Defendant 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. A detailed witness statement was taken from Mr A in support of his pleural thickening claim and he recalled laggers working above him. They would cut the asbestos up and the resulting dust would fall down onto him. Even after the plant had been finished there were always laggers present maintaining and repairing damaged lagging.
As a fitter, Mr A would use asbestos rope to form a seal between the boilers and the hood over the converter. He described the asbestos rope as measuring about 4 inches in diameter and this came in a coil shape. He would unravel the coil and the rope would be about 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 away. He would be covered with asbestos fibres and dust after completing this job. He remembered doing this job about once every 10 days for the 9 years he worked as a fitter.
Both as a fitter and a foreman, Mr A also had to maintain the cranes at the plant. 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 and this would create asbestos dust which would fall out of the shoes and settle on the surface of the crane. When our client worked on the cranes he would get covered in asbestos dust, he would have to brush it aside to do his work and it would rise into the air. He would get it all over 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 this process would also release asbestos dust into the general 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.
In support of the pleural thickening claim it was alleged that Mr A was never warned as to the dangers of working with asbestos. Nor did the company take any precautions to prevent him from breathing in the harmful asbestos dust.
No arguments on liability were raised by the Defendant and medical evidence was obtained from an experienced respiratory physician in support of the pleural thickening claim.
Mr A’s pleural thickening claim was settled within 13 months of instruction and was settled on a provisional damages basis. This provided him with the peace of mind of knowing that he would be able to return to claim further asbestos compensation if his pleural thickening increased in severity, causing him further breathing problems. He would also be able to return to claim further asbestos compensation if he were shown to be suffering with significant asbestosis, asbestos related lung cancer or mesothelioma.
If you require assistance in pursuing a pleural thickening compensation claim or believe you or a family member have a valid claim for asbestos compensation, 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.