ARE YOU A VICTIM OF AN ASBESTOS INDUCED INJURY?
Have you been diagnosed with pleaural plaques, pleural effusion, abestosis or mesothelioma within the last 3 years?
If so you may be entitled to compensation.
If you suffer with an asbestos related disease you will be entitled to claim common law damages from the employer you worked with at the time the exposure occurred.
Provided your former employer or its insurer can be identified you should be successful in your claim if you can show you worked with asbestos or asbestos based products; were not told of the dangers of working with them; were not given any protection from its harmful dust and fibres and can demonstrate by appropriate medical evidence that you suffer one of the above diseases.
There is an increased media and public interest about the rising trend of asbestos related diseases in Great Britain. Employers' insurers have recently tried to challenge cases for benign reactions such as pleural plagues but the court has confirmed that those who have been diagnosed with the disease should be compensated for the future risk of more serious symptoms and the consequent, continuing anxiety of that risk.
Asbestos was used widely as an insulation material in the construction and maintenance industry but many other types of workers will have been exposed to asbestos. Asbestos was used in a variety of applications - asbestos cement products (corrugated roofing, gutters, water and drain pipes, chimneys etc), asbestos floor tiling, insulation and sound and fire-proofing (used for pipe and boiler coverings), asbestos textiles (fire proof clothing, barriers, blankets, rope flexible tubing etc) friction materials (used in brake and clutch linings) paints and welding rods (chrysotile asbestos "floats" were used as fillers in paints and welding rods).
Many believe it is only those involved in large scale, major construction or maintenance work who are affected, but many workers are exposed whilst working on small projects, eg plumbers and electricians, who were required to use simple low key asbestos based products, such as asbestos rope or wool or were required to stripe and remove old asbestos lagging from old pipe work and boilers.
If you did this type of work and have been diagnosed with any of the above diseases in the last 3 years or would like to know more please contact Pat Wright.
Tel: Nottingham 0845 260 2648
Tel: Mansfield 0845 260 5209
Fax: (01623) 466 200
Email: pwright@hopkins-solicitors.co.uk
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