The Scottish Executive introduced new measures in December to help end the dilemma facing mesothelioma victims, who were forced to choose between claiming damages for themselves or waiting so that relatives could possibly claim more after their death.
The Holyrood committee scrutinising the bill recommended that MSPs back it when it goes before parliament.
Sufferers have been able to lodge compensation claims since 20 December even though the Mesothelioma Damages Bill is not yet law.
In an unprecedented move, Deputy Justice Minister Johann Lamont announced at the committee's meeting on 13 December that the bill would be amended to enable sufferers to benefit from its provisions a week later. Mesothelioma sufferers and their families can now receive fair compensation.
"In considering the bill, the committee learned of the significant number of mesothelioma sufferers who had been postponing settling their claims so that they would be able to benefit from the terms of the legislation.
"Witnesses representing mesothelioma sufferers argued that the bill should apply retrospectively, so as to enable sufferers to pursue their claims now."
Families affected
About 400 men and their families are affected by the proposals - most of them former Clydeside shipyard workers.
The bill sets Scotland apart from the rest of the UK.
Frank Maguire of the firm Thompsons Solicitors - which represents the majority of victims in Scotland - said after the minister's announcement that the firm would be commencing proceedings in up to 100 cases.
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Asbestos Awareness Seminars
ARCA the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association is hosting a series of Asbestos Seminars across the UK in the next few weeks. Called How do the Control of Asbestos Regulations Affect Me? The Seminars are aimed at all construction industry trades and anyone who may come into contact with asbestos in their working day.
These informative seminars will address why there was a need for the Regulations, how they were introduced, the impact the Regulations have had, and also provide best practice advice on how to comply with them. The half-day seminars will be invaluable to anyone connected with the construction industry that will be affected by the changes in Asbestos Legislation. Cost: £75 per delegate Seminar Dates: London 20th February at the Society of Chemical Industry Bristol 22nd February at the Novotel Bristol Centre Manchester 27th February at the Museum of Science and Industry Glasgow 1st March at the Crowne Plaza Birmingham 15th March at Aston Villa Football Club For more information including, Seminar Speakers and Seminar Programme, Booking Form click on http:\\www.arcaweb.org.uk\downloads\ARCA Seminar Leaflet.pdf or visit http://www.arca.org.uk and download a booking form. Contact ARCA on 01283 531126.
These informative seminars will address why there was a need for the Regulations, how they were introduced, the impact the Regulations have had, and also provide best practice advice on how to comply with them. The half-day seminars will be invaluable to anyone connected with the construction industry that will be affected by the changes in Asbestos Legislation. Cost: £75 per delegate Seminar Dates: London 20th February at the Society of Chemical Industry Bristol 22nd February at the Novotel Bristol Centre Manchester 27th February at the Museum of Science and Industry Glasgow 1st March at the Crowne Plaza Birmingham 15th March at Aston Villa Football Club For more information including, Seminar Speakers and Seminar Programme, Booking Form click on http:\\www.arcaweb.org.uk\downloads\ARCA Seminar Leaflet.pdf or visit http://www.arca.org.uk and download a booking form. Contact ARCA on 01283 531126.
Monday, 22 January 2007
Canada: asbestos claims lives of workers’ relatives.
Many Canadian workers who were exposed to asbestos, inadvertently brought the material home on their clothes and in turn exposed their families to the dust. Tom O'Donnell, who lives in Bowmanville, has been diagnosed as suffering from the deadly cancer mesothelioma; his father worked with asbestos for thirty years and died of the disease ten years ago. Then O’Donnell’s sister died, followed by his brother. They believed that the asbestos must have been brought into their car and their home on the clothes of the father. Doctors are advising anyone with a family member who worked with asbestos in the 1950s to have a medical checkup especially if they have any respiratory symptoms.
Canada has been a major producer of asbestos, and has campaigned vigorously for the continued use of chrysotile, (white asbestos).
Canada has been a major producer of asbestos, and has campaigned vigorously for the continued use of chrysotile, (white asbestos).
Asbestos Management made Easy
Asbestos Management Programme
Background
Asbestos was used widely in the construction industry.
The health hazards were finally recognised and legislation introduced to protect people from exposure to the inhalation of asbestos fibres.
Those in charge of non domestic buildings have a DUTY TO MANAGE the material.
This is often difficult to do without professional help
Overview of Asbestos Central Limited
ACL personnel have many years experience in the asbestos industry and have first hand experience of the difficulties some duty holders experience.
The company concluded that what most people needed was simple guidance, and the facility to obtain from a single source all the help they needed. This could range from individual components to a complete seamless Asbestos Management Programme delivered as a package.
ACL is NOT a software company, it is a professional asbestos management company that has developed its own software to comply with the regulations.
The benefits of ACL to Duty Holders
The facility to outsource as much or a little professional help as is required,
Confidence that the regulations are being complied with,
The ability to demonstrate to insurers, lenders and shareholders that their investments are protected from the consequences of failing to comply.
The facility to call upon professional help in crises.
A systemised approach to dealing with the legislation, and in many cases with controlling maintenance work in general.
The facility to allow viewing access of Asbestos Registers to selected individuals or organisations.
Range of Services
ACL provides a comprehensive range of asbestos services, including surveying, analysis, supervision of removal, preparation of asbestos registers, asbestos register software, asbestos management programmes and computer software programmes.
ACL works with partners to introduce the programme and so reduce claims, reduce costs, and reduce the incidence of asbestos related diseases.
We believe in the concept of sharing asbestos information, so that clients could for example permit the HSE to carry out ‘virtual inspection’ or allow local fire services to check on the location of asbestos if called to a fire.
Issues related to but not governed by the Control of Asbestos at Work (CAW) regulations
Domestic Dwellings
Although the CAW regulations do not apply to privately owned domestic properties, home owners share the same anxieties as tenants with regard to the presence of asbestos in their homes. ACL can help householders decide how best to handle Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs), and it can provide provides helplines for homeowners.
Workmen
The whole proposition of CAW regulations is to protect people in the workplace, this includes maintenance workers or contractors, who must be furnished with a permit to work and copy of the Asbestos Register relevant to the area where they are working.
When working on domestic properties however they have no such protection. Frequently they are ill informed about asbestos, and have no idea what to do if they come across suspect material. ACL can provide professional advice, including the location of UKAS accredited laboratories to analyse samples
Information Sharing
This can operate on a number of levels, ranging from straightforward administration and regulation on the one hand, to crisis management at the other extreme.
With appropriate permissions from clients, organisations such as HSE, could access a client’s intranet to carry out remote, desktop audits of companies, health or education authorities etc. Minor infringements could be notified to clients and appropriate remedial action put in place. All this could be achieved without an inspector leaving his office or a client having to accompany that inspector. Such procedures would not eradicate the need to carry out full scale inspections, but it would complement present activities, and by allowing a great number of desktop studies to be carried out, it would help to identify those organisations where resources need to be concentrated.
At the other end of the spectrum Fire Brigades are increasingly sensitive to the risk that their officers might be exposed to inhaling asbestos fibres in burning buildings. Again with appropriate permissions, (given in advance preferably), officers would be able to access the Asbestos Register to discover the location, and composition of any ACMs, and enjoy the additional benefit of being able to study a building’s outline plans. Additionally if asbestos fibres are likely to be released during a fire, an asbestos company can be on hand to contain contamination quickly and reduce possible insurance claims.
Somewhere in between these two extremes, responsible employers and trade unions could both have access to a company’s intranet site and share information germane to the health and wellbeing of employees.
Background
Asbestos was used widely in the construction industry.
The health hazards were finally recognised and legislation introduced to protect people from exposure to the inhalation of asbestos fibres.
Those in charge of non domestic buildings have a DUTY TO MANAGE the material.
This is often difficult to do without professional help
Overview of Asbestos Central Limited
ACL personnel have many years experience in the asbestos industry and have first hand experience of the difficulties some duty holders experience.
The company concluded that what most people needed was simple guidance, and the facility to obtain from a single source all the help they needed. This could range from individual components to a complete seamless Asbestos Management Programme delivered as a package.
ACL is NOT a software company, it is a professional asbestos management company that has developed its own software to comply with the regulations.
The benefits of ACL to Duty Holders
The facility to outsource as much or a little professional help as is required,
Confidence that the regulations are being complied with,
The ability to demonstrate to insurers, lenders and shareholders that their investments are protected from the consequences of failing to comply.
The facility to call upon professional help in crises.
A systemised approach to dealing with the legislation, and in many cases with controlling maintenance work in general.
The facility to allow viewing access of Asbestos Registers to selected individuals or organisations.
Range of Services
ACL provides a comprehensive range of asbestos services, including surveying, analysis, supervision of removal, preparation of asbestos registers, asbestos register software, asbestos management programmes and computer software programmes.
ACL works with partners to introduce the programme and so reduce claims, reduce costs, and reduce the incidence of asbestos related diseases.
We believe in the concept of sharing asbestos information, so that clients could for example permit the HSE to carry out ‘virtual inspection’ or allow local fire services to check on the location of asbestos if called to a fire.
Issues related to but not governed by the Control of Asbestos at Work (CAW) regulations
Domestic Dwellings
Although the CAW regulations do not apply to privately owned domestic properties, home owners share the same anxieties as tenants with regard to the presence of asbestos in their homes. ACL can help householders decide how best to handle Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs), and it can provide provides helplines for homeowners.
Workmen
The whole proposition of CAW regulations is to protect people in the workplace, this includes maintenance workers or contractors, who must be furnished with a permit to work and copy of the Asbestos Register relevant to the area where they are working.
When working on domestic properties however they have no such protection. Frequently they are ill informed about asbestos, and have no idea what to do if they come across suspect material. ACL can provide professional advice, including the location of UKAS accredited laboratories to analyse samples
Information Sharing
This can operate on a number of levels, ranging from straightforward administration and regulation on the one hand, to crisis management at the other extreme.
With appropriate permissions from clients, organisations such as HSE, could access a client’s intranet to carry out remote, desktop audits of companies, health or education authorities etc. Minor infringements could be notified to clients and appropriate remedial action put in place. All this could be achieved without an inspector leaving his office or a client having to accompany that inspector. Such procedures would not eradicate the need to carry out full scale inspections, but it would complement present activities, and by allowing a great number of desktop studies to be carried out, it would help to identify those organisations where resources need to be concentrated.
At the other end of the spectrum Fire Brigades are increasingly sensitive to the risk that their officers might be exposed to inhaling asbestos fibres in burning buildings. Again with appropriate permissions, (given in advance preferably), officers would be able to access the Asbestos Register to discover the location, and composition of any ACMs, and enjoy the additional benefit of being able to study a building’s outline plans. Additionally if asbestos fibres are likely to be released during a fire, an asbestos company can be on hand to contain contamination quickly and reduce possible insurance claims.
Somewhere in between these two extremes, responsible employers and trade unions could both have access to a company’s intranet site and share information germane to the health and wellbeing of employees.
Asbestos Removal Software
Asbestos Removers’ Management Programme Synopsis
Asbestos Central Limited (ACL) has witnessed the problems that clients can experience finding reputable removers, and it has also witnessed the problems of removers trying to provide a professional service.
ACL’s Asbestos Removers’ Programme allows both parties to realise their ambitions:
Contractors can price jobs accurately, source the necessary materials and carry out the work following organised procedures,
Clients know that removal is carried out in a workmanlike fashion.
Overview of Company
ACL personnel have many years experience in the asbestos industry.
ACL is NOT a software company, it is a professional asbestos management company that has developed its own software to comply with the regulations.
What does the Removers’ Programme provide?
A cohesive quotation and work plan procedure which covers all aspects of work from first inspection to final invoicing.
It ensures that a proper pre-inspection is carried out, and it builds up a profile of the materials, manpower and time required to do a job.
All costs are contained within the database, so that once all the procedures are entered, an accurate quotation is generated.
All necessary legal and commercial documentation is generated.
Correct paperwork for supervisors is generated.
A method of work is generated.
Everything is traceable and a complete audit trail is maintained.
The system will be updated whenever necessary to reflect any changes required by legislation.
THE BENEFITS
To Clients
A professional assessment is carried out beforehand
Work can only be carried out in accordance with predetermined standards
The process is efficient and does not incur the costs associated with inefficiency.
To Removers
A simple, efficient method of working professionally.
To Insurers and Financial Institutions
The knowledge that the removers they insure or fund, will carry out their work professionally, and that the risk of claims or financial penalties will be minimised.
To HSE or other interested bodies
Given appropriate permissions, procedures can be inspected online to ensure compliance with the relevant regulations.
Asbestos Central Limited (ACL) has witnessed the problems that clients can experience finding reputable removers, and it has also witnessed the problems of removers trying to provide a professional service.
ACL’s Asbestos Removers’ Programme allows both parties to realise their ambitions:
Contractors can price jobs accurately, source the necessary materials and carry out the work following organised procedures,
Clients know that removal is carried out in a workmanlike fashion.
Overview of Company
ACL personnel have many years experience in the asbestos industry.
ACL is NOT a software company, it is a professional asbestos management company that has developed its own software to comply with the regulations.
What does the Removers’ Programme provide?
A cohesive quotation and work plan procedure which covers all aspects of work from first inspection to final invoicing.
It ensures that a proper pre-inspection is carried out, and it builds up a profile of the materials, manpower and time required to do a job.
All costs are contained within the database, so that once all the procedures are entered, an accurate quotation is generated.
All necessary legal and commercial documentation is generated.
Correct paperwork for supervisors is generated.
A method of work is generated.
Everything is traceable and a complete audit trail is maintained.
The system will be updated whenever necessary to reflect any changes required by legislation.
THE BENEFITS
To Clients
A professional assessment is carried out beforehand
Work can only be carried out in accordance with predetermined standards
The process is efficient and does not incur the costs associated with inefficiency.
To Removers
A simple, efficient method of working professionally.
To Insurers and Financial Institutions
The knowledge that the removers they insure or fund, will carry out their work professionally, and that the risk of claims or financial penalties will be minimised.
To HSE or other interested bodies
Given appropriate permissions, procedures can be inspected online to ensure compliance with the relevant regulations.
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