I was instructed by Mrs R following her diagnosis of pleural thickening.
Exposure at work
Mrs R worked for the Central Wagon Company Limited. The company made storage heaters and Mrs R worked on the conveyor belt. Her job was to cut up pieces of asbestos lining and put it inside the open storage heaters as they passed down along the conveyor belt. Mrs R cut up pieces of asbestos to fit. It was very dusty work. None of the asbestos was every thrown away so every piece was kept and she cut it and patched it up and made it fit. This was done on a continuous basis throughout her eight hour shift. She had no protective mask or gloves or clothing, and she was never warned about the dangers of asbestos.
The investigation
Whilst investigating Mrs R’s claim we applied for her Inland Revenue Schedule of Employment. This revealed another employer that Mrs R had forgotten she has worked for. This company Turner Brothers Asbestos Company Limited also exposed her to asbestos. This was during the 1960s. Mrs R worked at the Turner’s factory at Hindley Green. She worked turning spindles that spun the raw asbestos. Mrs R was winding the bobbins off large bobbins and winding them onto slightly smaller spindles or bobbins. The asbestos was flying through the air. The whole factory was extremely dusty. Mrs R worked on that machine constantly winding the asbestos. It was impossible to avoid breathing in the asbestos dust.
Mrs R therefore had two separate claims, one against Turner Brothers Asbestos Company Limited under the Turner and Newall Scheme of Arrangement and a second civil claim against the insurers of Central Wagon Company Limited.
Mrs R was compensated firstly under the Turner and Newall Scheme for her exposure to asbestos whilst working for Turner Brothers Asbestos Company Limited and secondly by the insurers of Central Wagon Company Limited who also exposed Mrs R to asbestos.
Settlement
Mrs R settled both claims for a total figure in excess of £30,000 gross. In addition we were able to assist Mrs R to make a successful claim for state benefits, to which she was entitled because of her diagnosis of diffuse pleural thickening.
