£160k compensation for worker's asbestos death

A widow has been awarded £160,000 in compensation following her husband's death from an asbestos-related disease, the Rye and Battle Observer has reported.

Brenda Clark's husband passed on in 2008 and was exposed to asbestos as part of his work as a ceiling fixer for the Anderson Construction Company in Twickenham, which involved him drilling holes into asbestos tiles.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2007 and his former employer admitted liability for exposing him to the substance.

Work accident solicitor Brigitte Chandler, who represented Mrs Clark, warned that the high number of employees exposed to asbestos in the mid-20th century has led to an increase in the diagnosis of mesothelioma.

She advised: "Anybody who worked with asbestos in the 60s and 70s and is suffering from any sort of chest problem should seek medical advice."

According to the Health and Safety Executive, approximately 4,000 deaths are attributable to asbestos each year, with a latency period of between 15 and 60 years before symptoms will emerge.

Published by Tessa Jones