October 22nd, 2009
A woman has been awarded compensation of £300,000 after her husband died from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.
Michael Streets left school in 1963 and got a job as an apprentice oil fitter at Fawley Refinery, the Southern Daily Echo reports.
Although he left the company in 1975, Mr Streets said he recalled there being no safety measures in place to protect employees against the danger of asbestos. In fact, he said in a statement before he died that workers used to have ’snowball’ fights with the fibres and that the air was thick with deadly dust.
Mr Streets contracted mesothelioma and died in December 2007. His widow Francis took legal action against the Esso Petroleum Company and it recently admitted liability.
She is to be awarded £300,000 in compensation for her loss.
Asbestos-related cancers typically affect five times as many men as women because they are often the result of working in industries that used the materials in the 1960s, Cancer Research UK attests.
Tags: 1960s, Apprentice, Asbestos Cancer, Asbestos Mesothelioma, Cancer Mesothelioma, Cancer Research Uk, Cancers, Deadly Dust, Fibres, Fitter, Job, Many Men, Petroleum Company, Refinery, Safety Measures, Snowball Fights, Southern Daily Echo, Woman
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June 9th, 2009
In what is being hailed as a landmark ruling, the former servicemen who took part in atomic testing in the 1950s have been given the go-ahead to sue the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The 1,011 men claim that the weapons experiments left them exposed to radiation which later caused a range of ailments, including cancers and fertility problems.
Although the MoD argued that the tests had not contributed to their illnesses and that the claims had been made too long after the event, Mr Justice Foskett ruled this week that ten of the lead cases could go to full trial, paving the way for claims of up to £100 million.
Douglas Hern, secretary of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association, described the breakthrough as "a major victory".
Similar to any other employer, the MoD has obligations to make sure that its employees have a safe environment to work in.
This includes proper training for all employees in equipment usage and general job requirements, suitable supervision and safe equipment.
Anyone who feels they have not been given this safe environment may be eligible for compensation.
Tags: 100 Million, 1950s, Ailments, Breakthrough, Cancers, Fertility Problems, Foskett, Hern, Illnesses, Landmark, Ministry Of Defence, Mr Justice, Nuclear Test, Paving The Way, Radiation, Supervision, Veterans Association, Victory, Weapons
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