Amid the escalating prevalence of work-related industrial disease afflictions, distinguished legal entity Simpson Millar Solicitors amplifies the clarion call for renewed endeavours directed at shielding the workforce from the insidious clutches of these maladies. Recent statistical revelations have cast a spotlight on the harrowing reality, wherein a staggering 1.8 million employees found themselves grappling with the adverse implications of work-induced ill health throughout the expanse of the 2021/22 period.
Astutely aligned with its unwavering commitment to safeguarding the interests of those stricken by work-related industrial disease illnesses, Simpson Millar Solicitors emerges as a beacon of advocacy, tirelessly steering efforts towards the reinstatement of security and well-being within occupational realms.
Delving into the realm of stark realities, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) disseminates empirical evidence affirming the occurrence of 2,268 mesothelioma-related fatalities, a poignant testament to the somber consequences stemming from past asbestos exposure.
While glimmers of hope emerge from certain industrial disease cases exhibiting a decline, the journey towards assuring the holistic well-being and safety of the UK’s workforce remains an enduring voyage, far from its culmination.
Persistently Echoing Occupational Warnings
Augmenting the gravity of the situation, HSE’s documentation underscores an average of approximately 19,000 fresh instances of respiratory and pulmonary ailments that originate or are exacerbated by the work environment.
Pertinently, a stark reality surfaces as around 12,000 annual deaths from lung diseases find their nexus within the annals of work-related exposure. This encompassing spectrum enshrouds afflictions such as asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma, non-asbestos-related lung cancer, and the relentless grasp of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Encouraging Downturn in Mesothelioma Deaths, Yet Lingering Apprehensions
In a heartening trajectory, 2021 bore witness to a commendable diminution in mesothelioma deaths within Great Britain, as the mortality tally reached 2,268. This figure assumes significance when juxtaposed against the average of 2,520 annual fatalities recorded between 2012 and 2019, aligning seamlessly with prognostications that envisioned a gradual deceleration in annual mortalities throughout the 2020s.
Concentrated within the cohort aged over 75 years, the majority of mesothelioma cases resonate amongst the older demographic. Unveiling the gender prism, the dataset unfurls that 1,867 male lives were tragically claimed.
Conspicuously at risk are male individuals whose occupational trajectories intersected with the construction industry during the epoch marked by the rampant usage of asbestos. Evidencing this susceptibility, an overwhelming 85% of male mesothelioma instances trace their origins to asbestos exposure within occupational realms. A poignant observation surfaces—the enduring latency period of at least three decades accentuates the prevalence of mesothelioma deaths resulting from bygone exposures during the widespread industrial adoption of asbestos, spanning the temporal landscape from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Professions inherently associated with the construction domain, encompassing carpenters, plumbers, and electricians, maintain their disconcerting presence on the roster of mesothelioma-related deaths. Additionally, professions such as metal plate workers within the shipbuilding sector commandeer a disproportionately elevated prominence. Evidently, for men born within the 1940s, the mantle of mesothelioma’s etiology rests significantly upon the shoulders of former builders, approximately 46% to be precise. Notably, the legacy of carpentry claims a substantial 17%, standing alone in its attribution to the affliction. The endemic usage of fireproof insulation boards harbouring brown asbestos (amosite) within edifices emerges as a pivotal harbinger of augmented risk for this cohort of erstwhile workers.
Counterpointing the narrative, the dataset also resonates with a tale of 401 female lives succumbing to mesothelioma’s grip during 2021. The trajectory unveiled by prognostications foresees the persistence of 400-500 annual female deaths connected to the affliction throughout the expanse of the 2020s.
This phenomenon is intricately interwoven with asbestos exposure within distinctive occupational milieus—an entity inclusive of schools and hospitals—coupled with the spectre of secondary exposure and domestic encounters. This tangentially encapsulates instances wherein women were inadvertently exposed to asbestos fibers carried into the domicile by family members.
Looming as a critical concern, the National Audit Office’s records elucidate the presence of approximately 21,500 schools graced with structures entwined with asbestos within the British milieu. Additionally, as reported by LBC, the National Education Union underscores that a disheartening tally of about 400 former educators have succumbed to mesothelioma since 1980, a harrowing count that includes 300 cases from the 21st century.
Embodying a tangible voice within this discourse, Deborah Krelle, Partner at Simpson Millar and the torchbearer of the Industrial Disease division, bespeaks her concern while underscoring the pivotal significance of continuous vigilance to safeguard the health of the workforce. She articulates, “In the wake of the latest revelations emanating from HSE, it becomes abundantly clear that a monumental task awaits us—a task necessitating a steadfast resolve to subdue the scourge of work-related industrial diseases. The impetus to action is underscored by the gravitas these afflictions impose, not only on the affected individuals but equally on the economic tapestry that weaves our existence.”
She advances further, stating, “The statistics cast an unflinching spotlight on the perils poised by occupational lung diseases, illuminating their dual impact upon the affected individuals and the broader economy. This unveils the imperative for an unwavering allegiance to the paramount importance of workers’ health and safety. Equally disconcerting is the realisation that, despite the decline in mesothelioma-related fatalities, the shadows of risk continue to loom over those working within educational institutions and other publicly-owned edifices.”
Lending unequivocal support to prevailing appeals, she adds, “We unreservedly echo the clarion call for governmental intervention, resounding through demands for a nationally orchestrated strategy to expunge asbestos from our milieu. This beckons the creation of a national repository, aggregating properties infused with asbestos, supplementing it with the imposition of periodic air quality assessments within these spaces, all while setting in place minimal benchmarks for training protocols.”
Deborah Krelle concludes with a solemn affirmation, “Meanwhile, within the precincts of Simpson Millar, our commitment endures, championing the rights of those ensnared by the clutches of industrial diseases. Our unwavering pursuit of justice and reparation shall march onward.”
With an impassioned call to action, Simpson Millar Solicitors resounds a clarion call, urging employers, governing bodies, and entities to orchestrate a concerted commitment towards the well-being of the workforce. By embracing the spirit of collaboration, the collective can tangibly forge a fortified bastion of occupational security, substantially diminishing the impact of work-related industrial maladies upon both the workforce and their kin.
