£110,000 damages for family of worker killed by asbestos-related cancer

The deceased man, Anthony Justice, had been employed by Universal Asbestos Manufacturing Company Ltd, based in Watford, and had worked on renovation projects in Scotland in 1967 and 1968. He had been employed, for three months, as a pipe lagger’s mate in boiler rooms. He emptied bags of asbestos into a spraying machine and swept up asbestos dust at the end of each day.

He was treated at Watford General Hospital in 2013 due to becoming increasingly breathless and only able to walk about 15 yards. His health continued to deteriorate and, in May 2015, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He died in July 2015.

On 20 March 2017 at the High Court, Judge Sir Robert Francis QC upheld a claim for damages against Mr Justice’s former employer by his daughter, Debbie Smith.

Sir Robert said he had ‘no doubt that Mr Justice was exposed to asbestos at some point during his life’. Mr Justice had given an account of his working life in a statement before he died, and Ms Smith was a ‘credible witness’.

The judge said Universal Asbestos was ‘a well-known employer’ in the Watford area and he was satisfied that Mr Justice had worked for the firm. He also accepted that he had worked as a lagger’s mate on the dates claimed and had ‘inevitably’ been exposed to asbestos.

Universal Asbestos and its successors are no longer in business, so the £110,000 compensation will be paid by the FSCS.

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