Electrician faced with asbestos ‘snowstorm’ in power station job

A RETIRED electrician died as a result of being repeatedly placed at the centre of an asbestos “snowstorm” during his working life. Grandfather-of-two Ian Stanford lost his fight against pneumonia at the age of 76.

An inquest heard he worked at Willington Power Station between 1959 and 1993 and looked after all electrical aspects of the plant, including shutting down boilers and turbines for maintenance. The once-yearly task involved him removing lagging and asbestos material surrounding the equipment. A report by pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock said the nature of the work led to Mr Stanford’s death on February 11, at Royal Derby Hospital.

In a statement, Mr Stanford had said the  task left him in an asbestos “snowstorm” that turned the room into a “fog”. He wrote: “During this period there would be a huge amount of asbestos dust floating around. “The asbestos blocks were then refitted. There would always be lots of asbestos lagging laying around and dispersing around the area.”

Derby Coroner’s Court heard Mr Stanford, of Coniston Court, Darklands Road, Swadlincote, died from bronchial pneumonia. Royal Derby Hospital pathologist Dr Hitchcock said the condition was brought on by two diseases – small-cell lung cancer and pulmonary asbestosis. The latter is caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibres. Asked which disease played the biggest part in bringing about Mr Stanford’s death, Dr Hitchcock said: “On balance, the pulmonary asbestosis”, adding that it was likely the asbestos-related lung disease had also caused the cancer.

Deputy assistant coroner Paul McCandless ruled Mr Stanford died from an industrial disease, saying his death was pathologically linked to asbestos exposure. Mr Stanford’s widow, Brenda Stanford, was joined at the inquest by their son, Martyn Stanford, and Mr Stanford’s former colleague, Tony Brown. Mrs Stanford described her late husband as a “quiet” man who was devoted to their two sons, Martyn and Adrian, and two grandchildren. Martyn said his father “would do anything for you” and was “well respected”. Mrs Stanford sad the family was seeking compensation following the ruling.

Asbestos legal victory for families

Relatives of workers who died of an asbestos-related cancer won a compensation   fight at the Supreme Court today.

Judges ruled that insurance liability was ”triggered” when employees were  exposed to asbestos dust – not when symptoms of mesothelioma emerged.

Legal experts say the ruling by the UK’s highest court means that employers’   insurers will have to pay compensation claims.

Relatives of victims want to make claims on policies from the late 1940s to the late 1990s.

Families started a legal fight for compensation more than five years ago and lawyers say the Supreme Court ruling could affect thousands of claims.

Relatives won the first round of their battle in 2008, when the High Court   said firms’ insurers at the time workers inhaled fibres were liable.

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012

CAR 2012 – The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 have been published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). These can be viewed on the HSE website. The new regulations passed through Parliament this week, will come into force on 6 April 2012. CAR 2012 will introduce Notifiable Non-Licensed Works (NNLW), creating a three-tier system to work with asbestos containing materials.

1. Licensed Works – there are no changes to this type of work.

2. Unlicensed Works (Non Notifiable) – any activity which will not degrade the asbestos or can be removed without degrading the asbestos will remain as the status quo.

3. Notifiable Non-Licensed Works – depending on the work activity and removal techniques this will require unlicensed contractors to notify the HSE before the work commences, provide medical surveillance for their employees engaged in this type of work and keep records of exposure of their employees engaged in NNLW.

We will update you further when guidance is produced of a more specific nature relating to none licensed work and the notification procedures.

Exposed to dust on husband’s clothes

A Gloucester Coroner found that Jean Beard, 78, died from asbestos-related disease after being exposed to dust on her husband’s working clothes on wash days decades ago.

The Inquest heard the Mrs Beard would shake out the dust all over his overall before washing them.

Mr Beard died in February 1991; he worked at the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Works, a well known asbestos hot spot. Carriages were usually lagged with asbestos to prevent fires.

Mrs Beard, of Chesman Court, Estcourt Road, was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in April 2010.She underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy but was admitted to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on December 8 last year with a chest infection. She died the following day.

A mineral count of 14,706 per gram of dry lung tissue was revealed through samples, a low-level reading but consistent with asbestos exposure.

Pathologist Dr Linmarie Ludeman, who carried out a post mortem examination, said Mrs Beard died from malignant mesothelioma. Gloucestershire deputy coroner David Dooley said there was clear evidence of a link between asbestos exposure and Mrs Beard’s death.

Time Bomb

A couple say they are disappointed a happy, optimistic man never  got the chance to “stick two fingers up” at the company which made him  work with the asbestos which would kill him many years later.

Derek Relph died, aged 78, at his home in Lynwood Chase, Bracknell,  on Thursday, January 5, after suffering from mesothelioma, a cancer  associated with exposure to asbestos, for four years.

Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford ruled that Mr Relph died as a result  of industrial disease and described asbestos exposure as a ‘time bomb’  that he deals with on a daily basis, at an inquest at Reading Civic  Centre on Tuesday, March 6.

Mr Relph spent almost 30 years of his career working as an airline steward, having worked in the Merchant Navy before that.

He spent only one year of his life, from 1946 to 1947, when he was  just 14, working for a construction company as he waited until he was  old enough to join the Merchant Navy.

It was during this time that he was exposed to asbestos.

Mr Bedford said: “The construction industry was notorious for using 

Prosecution

A demolition firm has been sentenced after knocking down a building  in the Lake District containing hundreds of asbestos ceiling tiles,  putting the lives of workers and local residents at risk.

IBT Contracting Ltd was prosecuted by the Health & Safety Executive  (HSE) after carrying out the work at a former photography factory in  Staveley near Kendal during August and September 2011, despite not  having a licence to remove asbestos.

Kendal Magistrates’ Court heard how IBT had been given a survey by the  owners of the site ahead of the work taking place, which stated that the  building contained 166 square metres of asbestos ceiling tiles. But the  company failed to arrange for a licensed contractor to remove the tiles  safely, and instead released deadly asbestos fibres into the air during  the building’s demolition.

IBT Contracting pleaded guilty to three breaches of the Control of  Asbestos Regulations 2006, for removing asbestos without a licence,  exposing workers to asbestos fibres, and allowing the fibres to spread  to neighbouring areas.

The company, of Barton Lane in Barton near Preston, was fined £10,800  and ordered to pay £3,638.95 in prosecution costs on 20 March.

Asbestos Scare at School

Pupils and staff returned to Flora Stevenson Primary School this morning after an asbestos scare. The school was shut down on Thursday last week with all pupils evacuated to nearby Broughton High School after it was discovered the substance had been disturbed by workmen. The council said tests had shown the school was safe and a full cleaning took place over the weekend. On Friday, the Evening News told how parents were “horrified” by the possibility their children might have been exposed to the asbestos, which was disturbed “out of hours”. They were informed the pupils were being moved out of the school just after 11am on Thursday morning – around two hours after lessons began.