Here at Salvum, we understand that asbestos can lie in many of the most unexpected places, including potentially your own business, which is just one more factor making asbestos surveying such an important service.
Even the Houses of Parliament were not a safe haven from asbestos, as shown by the sad story of Frederick Hodge, a former electrical engineer who supervised boilers and pipe maintenance within the Palace of Westminster and passed away from mesothelioma in August, aged 80.
A diary detailing his working life
Mr Hodge kept diaries for almost two decades detailing his concerns about the safety of the building, with some entries dating back almost 40 years ago. They were discovered by his sons, who were clearing out his belongings.
Solicitors from the law firm Fieldfisher have said that the entries show he was likely working in an unprotected environment, with the diaries forming the basis for a compensation case over a failure to provide him with adequate protection.
Lawyers have also referenced several other cases pertaining to asbestos exposure within the Houses of Parliament, raising the prospect that generations of other people working in the building – including MPs, peers and civil servants – may have come into contact with the lethal substance.
A solicitor representing Mr Hodge’s family, Shaheen Mosquera, is also representing a 56-year-old Essex man formerly employed as an insulation engineer in the Houses of Parliament in the ’80s, and who has contracted a lung disease from exposure to blue asbestos – “the most lethal form”.
The longer-term effects of asbestos poisoning can lie dormant for years and take sufferers by surprise. For example, Mr Hodge was not aware that he was suffering from mesothelioma until shortly before his death.
The news comes as MPs prepare to vote on whether Parliament should leave its historic home for up to six years for significant renovations, including the removal of asbestos, which was a popular material for use in post-war reconstruction due to its fire-retardant qualities.
The vital importance of preventing future fatalities
The fact that sad cases like that of Mr Hodge are only just coming to light now goes some way to demonstrating the devastating effects that asbestos can continue to have even many years after the initial exposure. It also serves to underline the importance of making every effort at your own business to ridding your workplace of any lingering asbestos fibres.
Contact Salvum’s asbestos surveying team today to talk to us about our wide range of surveying services, so that you can help to avoid your own firm’s staff being put at risk.
