In two separate cases, two widows have won substantial compensation after their husbands died of mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos. The women brought claims against their husbands’ former employers who had negligently exposed the men to asbestos dust.
In the first case, an unnamed woman was awarded over £200,000 after her 60-year-old husband died of mesothelioma just a few months after he was diagnosed. The man had worked as a joiner from 1961 to 1974, during which time he often cut asbestos boards and worked alongside contractors installing asbestos insulation.
The company for which he worked did not provide any protective equipment, nor did it warn him about the dangers of working with asbestos. It admitted liability for exposing the man to dangerous asbestos fibres and agreed damages of £224,000.
In the second case, Clarice Lambert, 80, brought a case against her husband’s former employer. Mr Lambert had worked in a British Rail depot as a fitter on railway carriages for 48 years. Asbestos was used to lag the carriages and to fireproof the upholstery. As a result, he frequently came home covered in asbestos dust.
Mr Lambert’s employer gave him no warning of the danger to which he was exposed. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma after he developed a persistent cough.
Mrs Lambert was awarded substantial undisclosed damages in the settlement.
The Health and Safety Executive recently reported a tripling in the number of prosecutions brought under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. This underlines the fact that even though the dangers of asbestos are now well known, some employers are still willing to gamble with their employees' lives by not following safety guidelines.
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