The Health & Safety Executive records all deaths caused, or contributed to, by the asbestos-related diseases mesothelioma and asbestosis. Published statistics cover the period 2009 – 2022 and make for concerning reading. The last year available, 2022, records 63 deaths, the same number recorded in the first year, 2009. That this figure shows little sign of decline is a sad reflection and legacy of industrial asbestos use in Northern Ireland. Any decline in the stubbornly high fatality rate would appear unlikely, at least in the short term.
In the event of an unfortunate diagnosis of Mesothelioma or Asbestosis diagnosis, expert advice should be sought immediately. It is important to remember that exposure can occur several decades before symptoms appear. However, careful consideration will need to be given to how exposure to asbestos fibres occurred. The most common method is known as primary exposure, working directly with asbestos based products without adequate protection or, alternatively, working in the immediate vicinity of asbestos workers. This would be the archetypal exposure in the 1960s and 1970s involving employment in Shipyards, Power Stations and Construction sites.
Although safety procedures and oversight improved considerably thereafter, we have nevertheless encountered later exposure involving workers in the 1980s and 1990s refurbishing older buildings and unexpectedly encountering copious amounts of asbestos used in the original construction process.
Exposure to asbestos fibres can also occur indirectly, known as secondary exposure. For example, this might include a wife washing by hand her husband’s asbestos laden overalls or a child playing with his or her father while he is wearing his work overalls. There are particular rules relating to this type of claim, namely that the secondary exposure must have occurred after October 1965, if the exposure occurred before this date a claim will not be possible.
If an Employer or Employer Liability Insurer cannot be found, limited financial assistance is available from the Government for victims of both Mesothelioma and Asbestosis.
We have successfully been pursuing asbestos related disease claims for over 20 years. Should you wish to purse an asbestos related disease claim, please do not hesitate to Jonathan Duncan via email to [email protected] or call 028 91282896.
028 9181 1538 