Asbestos compensation can be for exposure to asbestos fibres that may have led to an asbestos-related disease. If you work or have worked in an industry at risk of asbestos exposure, you could be in line to claim asbestos compensation.

Workplace injury claims seek compensation for work-related accidents that were not your fault. If you suffer from an asbestos-related disease caused at least in part by your employer’s negligence, you may well be entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation.

Asbestos compensation

What is an asbestos compensation claim?

An asbestos compensation claim is when you seek damages, compensation, for the injury and financial effects on your life of contracting an asbestos-related disease.

Exposure to asbestos fibres can cause Mesothelioma, lung cancer and other related diseases. You may have an asbestos compensation claim if you suffer illness from exposure to asbestos fibres.

Who is eligible to make an asbestos claim?

If you were diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease due to exposure to fibres at work, you may be eligible to make an asbestos claim. You may be able to claim for the injury and for any financial effects on your life and that of your dependents.

Your diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease will have to be made within the last three years for you to make an asbestos claim.

Shipbuilding, plumbing, and construction workers are particularly vulnerable to contracting an asbestos-related disease. If you worked in buildings such as schools or hospitals built before 2000, you could also be at risk from asbestos-type cancers.

You may also be at risk of secondary exposure to asbestos if a family member is exposed to asbestos fibres. The fibres lodge in hair and clothes, and you could suffer if you breathed in the asbestos fibres when in close contact.

A No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can handle your case and see if you are eligible to make an asbestos claim.

How Much Is Your Claim Worth?

Take a few minutes to fill in our claim assessment form and find out how much compensation you will be entitled to.

Common diseases as a result of asbestos

The common diseases as a result of asbestos exposure include forms of cancer and lung conditions. If you worked in an industry with exposure to asbestos fibres, you may have contracted a related disease through your job.

Some of the diseases that may be a result of asbestos exposure:

  • Mesothelioma
  • Lung cancer
  • Pleural thickening
  • Asbestosis

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer that mainly affects the lungs, stomach and the heart and may be due to asbestos exposure. Over 2,000 people are diagnosed in the UK every year with Mesothelioma.

It may take 20 years for Mesothelioma to develop. Many cases are linked to a build-up of asbestos fibre in the lungs from exposure to asbestos at work.

Mesothelioma can affect the lining of the lungs, the stomach, and the heart. Symptoms can include fatigue, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, and stomach upset.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer may develop from exposure to asbestos though it is not the only cause of this severe form of the disease.

Asbestos lung cancer may be fatal, and symptoms can include breathlessness, coughing up blood and weight loss.

Pleural thickening

Pleural thickening affects the pleural membrane between the ribcage and the lungs. The thickening pushes down on the lungs causing difficulties in breathing and discomfort.

The pleural thickening can be caused by scarring of the pleural membrane. It can happen from asbestos exposure, and though not a form of cancer, pleural thickening may be an indicator of Mesothelioma.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis may come from exposure to asbestos fibres over a long period of time and is a chronic form of lung disease. You may suffer from scarring and inflammation of the lungs after working with and inhaling asbestos fibres for many years.

Symptoms of Asbestosis can include shortness of breath, regular wheezing, coughing and tiredness.

Asbestosis is a serious underlying disease that may severely restrict your life.

Who is liable for asbestos claims?

An employer may be liable for asbestos claims if they exposed you or a loved one to asbestos. You may be able to claim for contracting an asbestos-related disease if you can show the employer’s negligence contributed to your exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases may take many years to develop. By examining your work history, you may be able to trace where the asbestos exposure occurred and see if you have a valid claim against your employer at the time.

Workers who may have been exposed to asbestos include:

  • Plumbers
  • Construction workers
  • Pipe and roof laggers
  • Carpenters
  • Demolition workers
  • Roofers
  • Dockers
  • Military employees
  • Shipbuilders

Many types of employees may have been exposed to asbestos through work. If you worked in a building with asbestos insulation or where it was sprayed onto walls, you may have been exposed to dangerous levels of it over time.

A No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can look at your case details to see if you may have an asbestos claim for compensation.

Workplace injury compensation

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Who pays out asbestos compensation if the company I worked for is no longer trading?

If the company you once worked for is no longer trading, and you have a valid asbestos claim, you might be able to seek compensation from their insurance company at the time.

It is not unusual to discover the company is no longer trading, as asbestos-related diseases can take up to 20 years to develop and be diagnosed.

In cases where an employer and the insurance company are no longer trading, you may be able to claim from a UK government scheme such as The Mesothelioma Scheme 2008 and The Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme.

Your No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor can handle your case to see if you have a valid claim and how to seek possible compensation.

Compensation for an Asbestos claim

In an asbestos claim, you might be able to claim damages ranging from a few thousand pounds to more than £10 million. How much compensation you can claim depends on the injuries suffered and the financial effect of those injuries on your life.

If someone else is responsible for your personal injury, you might be able to claim compensation from their insurance company.

Sample compensation amounts in asbestos claims are as follows. Please note these are figures for the injuries only. Financial losses would apply in addition.

Find out how much you can claim in compensation.

  • Asbestosis with up to 10% lung disability, up to £35,500
  • Pleural thickening with up to 10% lung disability, up to £35,500
  • Lung cancer from asbestos exposure, up to £97,330
  • Asbestosis with more than 10% lung disability, up to £105,850
  • Pleural thickening with 10% lung disability or more, up to £105,850
  • Mesothelioma up to £114,460

What can you claim for compensation in a personal injury claim?

In a personal injury claim, you claim compensation for two types of damages: General Damages and Special Damages.

The amount of compensation awarded is the total of these two types of damages.

Compensation for General damages due to Asbestos claims at work

If you have been made sick due to exposure to asbestos at work, you can receive compensation for general damages which covers PSLA, or the Pain, Suffering and Loss of Amenity.

If you have been subject to a high level of asbestos exposure there is a risk that you have been made ill and have suffered due to this. Your claim will compensate you for this general damage.

You can also be compensated if damages have caused a lifestyle change, such as the ability to walk, sleep and do activities you used to enjoy.

Compensation for personal injury claims

Compensation for Special damages due to Asbestos claims at work

SIf you have been made sick due to exposure to asbestos at work, you can receive compensation for Special damages. This covers the cost of out of pocket expenses caused by your accident.

In the case of asbestos, medical treatment can be expensive and may be required for the remainder of your life.