£300,000 out of court settlement for mesothelioma

A former carpenter who developed mesothelioma has received £300,000 in an out of court settlement. He was exposed to asbestos whilst working for three shop-fitting firms more than 30 years ago. His job at all three firms involved refitting retail premises. Using hammers, crowbars and saws, he and his colleagues would gut the premises and remove all the old pipe work, electrical fittings, ceilings and walls before disposing the material in skips and refitting the shops from scratch. The pipes they exposed were often covered in old asbestos lagging. His employers never provided him with any kind of personal protective equipment such as face masks or breathing apparatus, and there were no ventilation measures in place and there were no on-site showers