Dave Joyce National Health, Safety & Environment Officer writing in LTB166/09 reports on a postal workers campaign for compensation due to asbestos exposure at work:
Royal Mail has settled out of court over the death of a former Postal worker who was exposed to asbestos, at the old Brook Street premises in Sneinton, Nottingham.
Keith Russell died at the age of 64 from mesothelioma, which an inquest confirmed was caused by long-term exposure to asbestos at his workplace.
His widow Lesley has received a settlement of £155,000, although the Royal Mail has refused to accept liability for his death despite evidence showing that the cancer-causing Asbestos fibres were present at the Brook Street premises in Sneinton.
While Royal Mail asserted there is not enough evidence to suggest it is responsible for "negligently exposing" Keith Russell to Asbestos, it agreed to the settlement.
Keith Russell worked for Royal Mail for 35 years in different jobs between 1957 and 1992 but only became ill a year before his death from mesothelioma, an Asbestos related cancer disease which affects the tissue surrounding the lungs or abdomen. During an inquest into his death, it was revealed that the former Royal Mail worker had asbestos fibres in his lungs.
Mrs Russell 66, from Thorneywood, said after the case was concluded "I would have liked Royal Mail to admit liability because of everyone else. There were an awful lot of people who worked in the same office so there are bound to be other people affected. I now hope other staff who become ill, come forward in the future to claim compensation.” Keith Russell worked at Royal Mail's old Parcels Office at the old Nottingham, Brook Street MLO site on the Nottingham City boundary, Sneinton.
Mrs Russell's lawyer handling the case Stephen Hattersley, of Godloves said that "The settlement could prompt other asbestos victims to come forward. Mr Russell's colleagues gave evidence that Asbestos was present in the building and if there are any other current asbestos victims who have attempted to bring claims but been deterred by the Royal Mail's denials, this may prompt them to revisit their cases. I hope anyone who previously worked there who is currently free of symptoms may take some comfort from knowing that, if the worst were to happen to them, Royal Mail would not be able to escape their liability."
The Health and Safety Executive say 4,000 people die annually from past contact with the poisonous Asbestos substance in their former workplaces.
