Partner, Head of Industrial Disease
The most important thing is to see your GP as soon as you get any symptoms of an asbestos-related illness, particularly if you’ve worked with asbestos in your job. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, coughing and chest pain.
Asbestos was a common building material until it was fully banned in the UK in 1999. But because symptoms of asbestos-related illnesses can take up to 50 years to show, a lot of people were harmfully exposed to it before its use was made illegal.
Living or working in a place where asbestos materials are present thankfully doesn’t always mean you’ll develop an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma or asbestosis.
If you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos illness such as mesothelioma, we can help you claim for state benefits, such as Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB). We can also get you compensation payments from HM Government to help you have a better quality of life.
There are some jobs in the UK which put you at higher risk of contracting bladder cancer. People with jobs that may raise the risk of bladder cancer include painters, textile workers, printers, rubber workers and truck drivers (due to diesel fume exposure).
We're rated‘Excellent’While asbestos is still present in some older buildings, it’s not always harmful. If you’re worried about asbestos in your workplace, you can ask to see your employer’s asbestos survey. This will tell you where the asbestos is and what’s being done to manage it.
In the most severe cases, exposure to asbestos can lead to diseases affecting the lungs such as asbestosis, pleural thickening and mesothelioma. In these instances, you may be eligible to make an asbestos compensation claim.
Making a claim can be daunting as most of the time, asbestos-related claims are made years after coming into contact with asbestos, but our Solicitors are highly experienced in investigating these types of claims.
Using the services of an experienced Industrial Disease lawyer has a lot of advantages, here are just a few:
Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos could potentially make a claim. But it will depend on individual circumstances. In most cases, people will need to have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness in order to get compensation. Our Industrial Disease Solicitors can quickly tell you if you can make a claim.
The time limit for claiming compensation if you’ve been told you have an asbestos illness is three years from the date of diagnosis. It’s therefore important to get expert advice as soon as you know you have an asbestos-related disease.
If someone dies from an asbestos-related illness, their Executor or Personal Representative can make a claim on their behalf. The Executor or Personal Representative has three years from the date of the death to claim for compensation if the person who died had an asbestos related illness.
Getting compensation for asbestos can be a complicated process, especially if you’re unsure where you might have been exposed to it. Our Industrial Disease solicitors specialise in asbestos claims and can support you in getting compensation, benefits and the care and support you need.
Even if the employer responsible is no longer trading or you’re not sure where you may have been exposed to asbestos, we could still help you.
Get in touch with us for a free claims assessment and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
When you instruct us, we’ll send what’s called a Letter of Claim to the company or companies that you hold responsible for your asbestos-related illness (such as mesothelioma or asbestosis). They will then have 21 days to acknowledge the Letter of Claim and 90 days to provide a reasoned answer.
When speaking to our clients after their diagnosis with mesothelioma, we see that it can be particularly difficult for them and their loved ones to deal with. People may struggle to begin moving forward, whilst also feeling confused as to where or how the asbestos exposure happened.
Not necessarily. Living or working in a place where asbestos materials are present thankfully doesn’t always mean you’ll develop an asbestos related disease, such as mesothelioma or asbestosis.
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
