The family of a carpenter who died of an asbestos-related disease has succeeded in a claim for compensation on his behalf.

Between 1954 and 1991, the man worked for a company that made industrial furnaces. Part of his job involved cutting four inch thick asbestos boards with a circular saw. These were used to line the furnaces. While working with the dangerous substance, he was not given any protective clothing, nor was he made aware of the dangers associated with working with asbestos.

He was 82 years old when he began to suffer symptoms, including breathlessness and chest pain. Three months later he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, which is an incurable cancer of the lining of the lungs, and died less than three weeks later.

Although the company he had worked for no longer exists, the insurance company was traced and the man’s family was able to assemble sufficient evidence to mount a successful personal injury claim.