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Union highlights 2010 asbestos compensation figures |
Trade union Unison has called for greater scrutiny to be placed on employers over workplace asbestos after it revealed annual compensation figures for victims of industrial disease.
More than £2 million was paid out to Unison members making compensation claims for asbestos-related diseases in the last year, with £255,961 being paid out to workers in the east of England.
The findings have led the union to suggest that not enough is being done to prevent workers from being exposed to asbestos and other health hazards in the workplace.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said that although compensation claims can help asbestos victims by providing funds for treatment or the needs of families, they can "never make up" for the effects of diseases such as mesothelioma.
He added: "Too many employers put short-cuts before the safety of their staff and many workers still suffer in silence, losing their physical and mental health."
According to figures from the Health and Safety Executive, deaths from asbestos-related conditions are responsible for around 4,000 deaths every year.
Simon Davis, a Kester Cunningham John partner who specialises in asbestos-related disease claims, comments: "Unison is to be commended on doing a fine job for its members but compensation is awarded now for the effects of exposure many years ago.
"Only now are the true costs of asbestos exposure becoming apparent, especially in the East of England and East Anglia.
"The rigorous controls now in place on working in proximity to asbestos should prevent the need to tell the same story in many years to come."
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