£112.5k compensation for welder exposed to asbestos at Superheater Company Ltd and Babcock & Wilcox
Boyes Turner industrial disease lawyers were instructued by our client in August 2006. He was living in South Africa at the time, but had been exposed to asbestos whilst working in the UK for the Superheater Company.
He had left school in 1962, and began his working life at Lain Engineering in Manchester as an apprentice welder. He subsequently worked for Superheater Company Ltd which became International Combustion. He was still an apprentice welder and was involved in the manufacture and installation of coal fired power station boilers. He was often involved in welding at high temperatures, working on boiler tubes and header pipes. These were covered in asbestos lagging.
He recalled in his lifetime statement that he was regularly exposed to high levels of asbestos dust and he also worked alongside other workers who were involved in wrapping pipes with asbestos blankets and welding pipes which eventuality led to disturbance of the asbestos lining around those pipes causing dust to be produced.
After his time at Superheater, he moved to Babcock & Wilcox and worked on Fulham Power Station. He was involved in the decommissioning and commissioning of old boilers and again worked as a welder.
In March 2006, he noticed that he was short of breath and lacked energy generally. Before this time, he had been very active, doing DIY, gardening, painting and decorating and even car maintenance. He and his wife had been running various businesses before he became ill. They were forced to give up their business idea and move home due to his illness.
After a visit to his GP, he was diagnosed with bronchitis. Nine visits to the hospital later and following extensive medical tests he was diagnosed with mesothelioma and was told it was terminal. He sadly passed away in December 2006.
Admission of liability on behalf of Superheater and Babcock & Wilcox took place in August 2007 and the mesothelioma compensation claim settled for £112,5k in August 2008 (settlement net of benefits received and payment under the Pneumoconiosis Workers Compensation Act).
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