Asbestos Justice successfully pursued a claim for pleural thickening compensation for Mr T who was diagnosed with this debilitating asbestos related illness.
Mr T started worked for a company originally known as H & E Loach Builders Ltd (later trading under the name of Loach Construction & Development Limited) when he was just 15 years of age. He joined as an apprentice bricklayer, working long hours, often seven days a week.
He was not only involved in laying bricks but also engaged in demolition and refurbishment work.
His job involved removing asbestos lagging from pipes and boilers. He also used to help joiners handle asbestos and cut it. He was also involved in demolishing buildings and had to sift through debris which contained asbestos.
In his witness statement which was taken in support of his pleural thickening claim, Mr T advised that during the 1970’s he was involved in renovating a cinema into a supermarket and this work entailed demolishing rooms where the fire-retardant was made of asbestos sheets. He would start by getting into the loft space and standing on sheets of asbestos which lay between joists. He would knock the ceiling through using whatever was to hand, often a metal bar or shovel and would knock through the asbestos first and then through the ceiling. This created a large amount of dust which he inhaled. The dust got everywhere. He described the dust in the loft, for this job, as looking like a cloud which supported the allegation in support of his pleural thickening claim that he had been substantially exposed to asbestos when working for the company. Once he had knocked the ceiling through he had to go down into the room below and clear the debris up including the broken asbestos sheets. He would pick it up using his hands and using a brush and shovel to get it into a wheelbarrow which he would empty into a skip outside. He took the larger piece of rubble, including the asbestos, and threw it into a skip. He would then use a brush and shovel to scoop up the smaller fragments and dust. All of this work was very dusty and he continually inhaled the asbestos fibres. His clothes would become covered in asbestos dust.
In this building there was asbestos lagging on most of the heating pipes. Mr T removed the asbestos by chiselling it off and pulling chunks off with his hands. Again, this was very dusty work and he breathed in the asbestos dust.
Mr T also worked at Sugarbeet factories in Colwick, Nottingham where he was involved in refurbishing these factories for an average of 2 months per contract as it was an on-going job. On such contracts he described once again having to remove asbestos lagging and he completed general demolition and refurbishment work which included disturbing asbestos in roof spaces and on doors where it was a fire-retardant.
Mr T provided further evidence in his pleural thickening claim which covered more recent exposure to asbestos when he worked on renovating old houses all over Nottingham. This was an on-going job up until the 1980’s. During these jobs he removed asbestos lagging. He would also cut and was in the vicinity, when asbestos sheets were being cut and fitted to walls. There was also asbestos in many of the ceilings, which he removed. Joiners would refit asbestos sheets and refurbish loft spaces and he would help to cut and carry the asbestos.
When working for the company between the 1960’s to the mid-1980s he was regularly exposed to vast quantities of asbestos dust in the general working environment and was never warned about the dangers of working with asbestos. He was never provided with any training as to the precautions which should be taken. He was never provided with a mask or any other respiratory protection. No precautions were taken in an attempt to eliminate and/or reduce his exposure to asbestos and such failures were relied upon in support of his pleural thickening claim.
The medical evidence obtained in support of the claim for pleural thickening compensation confirmed that Mr T was at risk of developing more serious asbestos related conditions in the future.
Mr T’s pleural thickening claim settled for £15,000.00 on a provisional damages basis which left the door open for him to claim further asbestos compensation should he have the misfortune of going on to develop further problems due to his asbestos exposure in the future.
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.