Anybody who has been employed in a shipyard in any capacity is likely to have been exposed to asbestos. This is because asbestos materials were widely used as insulation on board ships on boilers, pipework, walls, gaskets, turbines and various other pieces of equipment, and also as soundproofing.
So when ships were being built or refitted, asbestos was everywhere, and many people could have come into contact with harmful quantities of asbestos dust, even if they weren’t working closely with it.
If you’ve developed an asbestos disease such as Mesothelioma, and believe it’s because you once worked at a shipyard, get in touch with our Industrial Disease Solicitors.
We offer a free claims assessment and can talk with you about your situation. We can let you know if you have a good chance of claiming compensation successfully and how we can help you. Ask us if we can deal with your claim on a No Win, No Fee basis.
We're rated‘Excellent’If you were employed in any capacity in a shipyard, then it’s almost certain that you would have come into contact with asbestos.
Electricians, plumbers, welders, boiler workers, steamfitters, tilers, painters and caulkers would all have been exposed to asbestos dust in the shipyards at some point.
Asbestos materials were used in shipbuilding as it was an excellent insulator, so it would often be applied to pipes, boilers, turbines and many other important pieces of equipment. Asbestos would also often be used to soundproof walls, floors and ceilings.
On ship repairs and refits, old asbestos lagging would be stripped off the boilers and other equipment and pipework, often in confined spaces such as the engine room. Ventilation was often poor in these locations, meaning that the asbestos dust produced by these processes would float around the inside of the ship.
Once the refit had been completed, fresh asbestos lagging would then be mixed, again usually in confined spaces, with the asbestos powder being poured into drums or buckets, creating clouds of asbestos dust. Water would then be added to form a paste and then applied to the pipes.
Caulk which was used to seal cracks contained asbestos until the 1980s, so caulkers would not only have been exposed to asbestos through their own work, but also through the work of those working nearby on the ship.
This was true of most shipbuilding workers. They would often be using or disturbing asbestos themselves while doing their own job, but would also be exposed to asbestos dust from those around them who were doing different jobs at the same time.
Time was always an important factor either when building a ship or doing a refit, so you would have various different tradesmen working at the same time in close proximity to one another and usually in confined spaces to make sure that the job was completed as fast as possible.
As a result, there would often be clouds of asbestos dust caused by the activities of all these workers. The asbestos dust would get into their work clothing, potentially exposing many family members to asbestos when handling and washing work clothing. This is known as Asbestos Secondary Exposure.
Our Industrial Disease Solicitors are specialists in Asbestos Claims and have many years of experience of helping people with asbestos diseases get the compensation and care they deserve, even when the employer responsible is no longer trading.
So if you have any questions about claiming compensation for exposure to asbestos after working on a shipyard, call us for a free claims assessment, and we can discuss your situation with you and if you may have grounds to claim compensation.
If we can take on your case, we’ll work to make sure you get the care, support and rehabilitation you need, and take care of all the difficult tasks, such as arranging medical appointments and dealing with the other side, on your behalf.
This guide outlines the different amounts of compensation that you could be awarded if you claim compensation for asbestosis in England or Wales. In a typical asbestosis claim where compensation is paid out, the final settlement will include both General Damages and Special Damages.
Yes. This issue has recently been in the High Court with a former Vauxhall electrician winning an asbestos claim against the carmaker after his wife died of mesothelioma last year.
If you’ve been harmfully exposed to asbestos at work, you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
Fill in the form below to get in touch with one of our dedicated team members, or call our team today on: 0808 239 0144
