Highest-ever global asbestos payout gives hope to UK sufferers

Highest-ever global asbestos payout gives hope to UK sufferers

I read recently of Australian, Steven Dunning, who is to be paid more than $2m in damages by BHP Billiton after he was negligently exposed to asbestos dust whilst working in the company’s Newcastle, New South Wales Steelworks. Mr Dunning had hoped to work until he was 70, but four years ago his life was shattered when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma and has not been able to work since. It was a tragedy to hear that the disease has transformed 54-year-old Mr Dunning from a ‘happy-go-lucky’ man into someone who is now plagued with night sweats, lacking energy and motivation and suffering from a wide range of physical side effects including burns and vomiting. The case is clear proof that asbestos remains a global problem. Here in the UK, we must continue to get the message out there that asbestos is dangerous and there’s no excuse for failing to ensure employees have the proper training when coming into contact with it. Cases are constantly coming through where developers are using non-licensed and untrained contractors to deal with a highly dangerous material like asbestos. There are many dedicated and highly-skilled contractors in this country who are experts at removing asbestos safely and so it’s deeply disturbing to keep hearing in this day and age that there are still companies who choose to put people’s lives at risk, by not taking advantage of the expertise so readily available. Despite severe warnings and the threat of hefty fines, and even jail terms, companies continue to ignore the severe consequences of exposing their employees and the public to asbestos. Unsafe handling of asbestos, when you aren’t trained to do so, puts lives at risk. I hope the case of Mr Dunning will give hope to the thousands of existing and potential victims of asbestos-related illnesses across the UK and pave the way for many new claims from workers whose quality of life has been tragically transformed by exposure to asbestos dust.

Yours faithfully

Craig Evans,
General Manager,

UKATA (The UK Asbestos Training Association)

ENDS

Photograph and caption: Craig Evans, General Manager, UKATA
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Source for story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2712717/The-highest-pay-asbestos-exposure-awarded-TERMINAL-BHP-worker-35-years-inhaled-it.html