Mesothelioma compensation recovered for the wife of a Margate gas fitter

This case study demonstrates the expertise of our Chemical Poisoning & Asbestos team. The team recently negotiated a full value settlement for the wife of a gas fitter who worked in and around Margate for 26 years.

Mr P was born in Margate and lived and worked in and around east Kent all his working life. He left school at age 14 and joined the local gas board at the Kings Street gas works in Margate for a gas fitting apprenticeship. Apart from four years or so service during World War 2, Mr P remained in the employ of British Gas having completed his gas fitting apprenticeship and later being promoted to foreman.

Unfortunately for Mr P, he was exposed to asbestos during this employment but no protective clothing or mask were ever provided to him. Mr P went on to develop mesothelioma. We recovered an undisclosed six figure settlement for his wife.

Mr P was exposed to asbestos for approximately 26 years during his working life. His work included installing gas fixtures including asbestos flue pipes and asbestos cord (string) to gas fires and surrounds to water heaters in thousands of domestic properties. The asbestos materials required cutting and sawing to size creating substantial amounts of asbestos dust that Mr P inhaled. He described to us the need to cut asbestos flue pipes by hand with a hacksaw and cutting and trimming asbestos sheets either with a hacksaw or by being scraped with the sharp end of a file to score a deep line before being snapped. Mr P used either a file or rasp to shape. The asbestos material was hard and powdery and rasping and filing created substantial amounts of dust that he breathed in.

When we met Mr P, he was very ill. Sadly, he died before we were able to settle his claim but we went on to negotiate a full value settlement for his wife.

Read more about our experience in cases involving mesothelioma.

Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP specialises in industrial disease cases. If you would like to ask our team a question about a potential case, or if you have a general query about any personal injury, contact Jonathan Herbert at Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP solicitors on 01892 701226 in confidence.