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Posts Tagged ‘asbestos deaths’

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Ship Worker dies from industrial disease

Working with asbestos on ships in the 1950s caused an 82 year-old man’s death.

On December 16, last year, Ronald Kennedy of High Street in Theale, died. Ronald was suffering from malignant mesothelioma.

Deputy coroner for Berkshire, Ravi Sidhu, read a statement made by Mr. Kennedy before his death, the statement was for a civil court case in relation to working with asbestos.

In the statement Mr. Kennedy explains how he worked with asbestos aboard ships for 56 hours a week and slept in an engine room.

Reading his statement, Mr. Sidhu said:

“I can’t recall where the asbestos lagging on board the ships came from, but I can recall that moving of the asbestos would be performed.”

He went onto say:

“I’d then have to apply it to various pipes – mix asbestos powder with water and apply it as a paste.”

March 7, 2012 8:47 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos death rate well above average in Eastbourne

ASBESTOS related deaths in Eastbourne are well above the national average, according to new statistics.

The figures have been obtained by not-for-profit campaign group the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).

The research shows from 2006 to the end of 2010, mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of the lung wall, was recorded as the underlying cause of 30 deaths in Eastbourne. It is the equivalent to four deaths in 100,000 people.

The average for England and Wales during the same period was 2.5.

APIL president David Bott said, “More people die of mesothelioma in Eastbourne per head of the population than in most other parts of the country.

“This is bad enough, but the number of men dying from this disease is expected to peak during the next five years and what many people don’t realise is that hundreds of sufferers across the UK cannot get the compensation they need to help them through the last days of their life.

“What is needed is for the Government to bring forward proposals for a fund of last resort which would act as a safety net for injured workers who are otherwise unable to pursue the justice they deserve.”

March 5, 2012 9:12 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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York carriageworks’ asbestos death toll now at 141

At least 140 former York carriageworks employees and their relatives have now been killed by the asbestos timebomb – and the death rate may be increasing, a campaigner has said.

Paul Cooper has spoken out in the wake of last week’s funeral of the latest victim, Arnie “Tivvy” Gomersall, at which a church minister, the Rev Matt Woodcock, blasted the “scandalous” way the factory employees were exposed to deadly asbestos dust over decades.

Mr Gomersall had said some years ago that more than a score of his friends had died from asbestos exposure, and he feared that one day he would be affected.

Mr Cooper, who was a trade union official at the carriageworks in Holgate Road and helped set up a support group for York asbestos victims several years ago, said he kept records of deaths as he often helped the victims and their families.

He said his estimate of 141 deaths, which included 59 coachbuilders, among them Arnie, was not the full story, as it related only to cases of people who had died from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma and whose deaths had been investigated by inquests in York.

March 2, 2012 2:53 pm - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Families of asbestos victims back “last resort” fund

Families of two men who died from an industrial disease have backed calls for a “last resort” fund.

Statistics published this week revealed that more people have died of an asbestos related cancer in Blackpool than in most other parts of the country.

These figures were releases by the Office for National Statistics, showing that, 31 residents died from mesothelioma between 2006 to the end of 2010.

That is the equivalent of 2.7 deaths in 100,000 people, 0.2 above the national average of 2.5 for the same period.

Two years ago the Government promised a “last resort” fund, this fund would be available for victims who cannot trace insurers.

David Jones, owner of The Henson Hotel on Clifton Drive, Blackpool, lost his dad, Albert, to mesothelioma last year.

He said; “I am surprised to hear Blackpool is above the national average, my dad was exposed to the substance as a barrel maker at the ICI in Salford and later in Scotland.”

February 28, 2012 9:10 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Medway has country’s second-highest asbestos death rate

New Figures have revealed that Medway has the country’s second highest death rate for terminal asbestos cancer.

Statistics have shown that the number of people whom have died from mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung wall, was more than twice the national average in Towns.

104 deaths were recorded in the area from 2006 to the end of 2010 that is the equivalent of 6.5 deaths in 100,000 people. The national average during the same time was 2.5 deaths.

Due to some workers not being able to trace the employers whom exposed them to asbestos,  they are unable to claim for damages if they develop mesothelioma. This could be because symptoms develop decades after a worker has inhaled the asbestos particles, within that time businesses can go out of business or insurance documents can be destroyed.

David Bott, president of not-for-profit campaign group the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, said:

“More people die of mesothelioma in Medway per head of the population than most other parts of the country.”

February 17, 2012 9:26 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos exposure causes another death

A devoted husband and father, Peter Wilson, 61, became another victim to mesothelioma in August after breathing in deadly asbestos dust particles.

Coroner for South and East Cumbria, Ian Smith yesterday recorded a verdict of industrial disease. The hearing heard the Mr. Wilson had come into contact with the deadly asbestos dust whilst he was working at Oxley Developments in Ulverston.

Mr. Wilson had held various roles from 1965 to 2008 including apprentice machine setter, machine setter and latterly machine shop manager. On hearing the verdict, Mr. Wilson’s widow, Marian said:

“I am satisfied though the inquest was very traumatizing; Peter was a real family man – full of fun. He was one in a million and a very special man.”

“To lose Peter has been absolutely devastating to us all and it’s difficult to imagine life without him. It’s hard to comprehend that he worked incredibly hard all his life and that part of his work is what took him from us. He didn’t work in a trade we as a family associated asbestos illness with – you tend to think its more manual workers in shipyards don’t you?”

December 12, 2011 10:08 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos: ‘Better Protection’ Needed After College Cleaner Dies From Exposure

The death of a cleaner, who died from lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos at the college she worked, has prompted calls for better protection for school staff.

A tribunal ruled on Tuesday that Brenda Waddell’s death in September was caused by exposure to the deadly substance while she cleaned classrooms at Grimsby College, Lincolnshire.

The 61-year-old was diagnosed with the lung disease mesothelioma in February. She had worked at the college since 1984.

Before her death, Waddell wrote a statement saying she believed that she was exposed to the substance, which appeared in a local paper.

“I have been informed that in the early years there was a removal programme from the boiler house. I was not able to walk down the nearby corridor but I believe me and the other cleaners would have still been exposed to it.

“I have also been informed that Mr Ken Lord, from Laceby Road, died from mesothelioma after working there as a contractor.

“He was also aware of the process of removal of asbestos at the college, which was mainly the ground floor, for which I was responsible for cleaning the classrooms, toilets and corridors.”

November 21, 2011 9:30 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Payout over Scunthorpe steel worker’s asbestos death

The family of a Scunthorpe man who died after being exposed to asbestos while working at the town’s steelworks has been awarded £48,000 in compensation.

Reg Grimshaw died last year, aged 88, from the lung disease mesothelioma.

He spent his entire working life at the plant, which was run by a number of companies over the years, including the nationalised British Steel Corporation.

Current owners Tata Steel said the claim was from a “historic exposure to a risk”.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which affects the thin membrane that lines the chest and abdomen. About 2,400 people are diagnosed with the condition in the UK each year.

According to Cancer Research UK, up to 80% of cases of malignant mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos fibres.

October 11, 2011 8:51 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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£318,000 compensation for asbestos victim’s family

The widow and family of a victim of asbestosis have been awarded personal injury compensation of £318,000.

Elizabeth Wolff, 69, from Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, lodged a claim for damages after her husband William, 66, died from mesothelioma in March 2007.

Diagnosed with the terminal disease just one year into his retirement, William Wolff died seven months later.

Contractor Weir Construction Ltd admitted to being negligent in exposing Wolff to the deadly airborne fibres while he was employed by the construction firm, according to personal injury lawyers familiar with the case.

October 3, 2011 12:28 pm - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Training Pledge Tackles Annual 4,000 Asbestos-Related Deaths

asbestos surveyThe new training pledge, initiated by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) in partnership with the training industry, aims to tackle the approximate 4,000 asbestos-related deaths annually in the UK.

The aim is for various training providers to pledge free hours this month (September), for 4,000 face-to-face training hours, with an additional 4,000 online training hours, for delivery over an 8-week period during October and November this year. Tradesmen (and women) in particular are being targeted, especially joiners, electricians and plumbers, as they are most likely to disturb asbestos fibres as they go about their work. The HSE estimates that around 20 trades people a week lose their lives to asbestos-related diseases.

HSE’s director for long latency health risks, Karen Clayton, says : “Our hidden killer campaign is helping tradesmen understand the lifesaving fact that asbestos exposure is not just an historical problem – around half a million public buildings still contain it. This new initiative, a continuation of the campaign, is all about finding out exactly what they (tradesmen) need to do to protect themselves by taking advantage of free training and so prevent this hidden killer claiming another generation.”

September 30, 2011 8:55 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Cumbrian nuclear expert’s death due to asbestos

A former nuclear physicist who was exposed to asbestos at work died as a result of an industrial disease an inquest has ruled.

Francis Graham Brightman, 77, of Beach Road, St Bees, died at his home in November last year.

A post mortem concluded that Mr Brightman died as a result of bronco-pneumonia caused by malignant mesothelioma  cancer of the pleura, which is a covering of the lungs. He was diagnosed in 2008.

Susan Brightman, his daughter, said: “My father was immensely grateful for the medical treatment that he had.”

8:44 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Son to sue over dad’s asbestos exposure

A son whose father died from cancer related to asbestos exposure has launched a legal battle for compensation of up to £300,000.

Michael Howarth, 63, died from malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the tissues surrounding his lungs, after being exposed to asbestos at work, according to a High Court writ.

Now his son Adam Howarth is demanding damages from his former employers, Stott Benham, whose predecessors were James Stott and Co (Engineers).

Mr Howarth, of Wales Street, Watersheddings, worked for the company, which made industrial catering equipment at the Vernon Works in Oldham, as an apprentice fitter and then a fitter in the sixties.

September 22, 2011 1:37 pm - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Relatives sue Coventry Dunlop over asbestos death

RELATIVES of an aircraft worker who died of lung cancer are suing his former bosses.

Maxmillian Surman, who worked for Dunlop in Coventry and lived in Nuneaton, died from mesothelioma – an incurable lung cancer caused by asbestos – in 2009.

Shortly before his death Mr Surman made an appeal for former colleagues to come forward to help him show he was exposed to asbestos at Dunlop in Holbrooks.

Thanks to that appeal in the Telegraph his relatives say they have now gathered enough evidence to lodge a claim for compensation in the High Court.

The writ was submitted by Alida Coates, of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, who is representing the family.

September 21, 2011 1:26 pm - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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