Railway workers and mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is one of the asbestos-related diseases which is becoming increasingly prevalent amongst those in their 50s, 60s and 70s. Due to the fact that there is usually a 30 to 40 year delay between exposure to asbestos fibres and the development of the disease, those who were exposed in the 1960s and 1970s are now being diagnosed. It is expected that the numbers will peak between 2015 and 2020, around 30 years after the use of asbestos was banned in the UK.

In the vast majority of cases, those suffering from this asbestos-related illness were exposed to the deadly fibres in the course of their work. The type of work that a person did does have an impact on how likely they are to develop the condition, as some jobs tended to involve a lot more contact with broken up asbestos material than others. Read more about occupations exposed to asbestos.

Railway workers
One group of workers who have a heightened risk of developing mesothelioma are those who worked on the railways. There are clear hotspots around the UK where railway workers are being diagnosed with the disease, such as around Swindon, Crewe, Thamesdown and Doncaster. These workers may have come into contact with asbestos fibres in a number of different situations, some of which we will now look at in greater detail.

It was not until the mid 1960s that steam trains began to be phased out in the UK and the people who worked on these machines may well have been exposed to asbestos. The lagging which coated the engine and the boiler was usually made from asbestos and asbestos was often also used in the engine cab.

However, it wasn't just those who worked on running engines who were exposed to the danger of asbestos. Those who built and repaired the carriages at the Carriage and Wagon Works also handled huge quantities of asbestos when they insulated pipes, boilers and whole carriages with the fire-resistant material.

On top of this, people who worked at the railway station as porters also unknowingly risked their lives by coming into contact with asbestos. Porters were often left to clear up spilt asbestos after bags of the substance split in transit. Even when the bags stayed intact, asbestos fibres were often present in the air and were breathed in by the porters and other railway station workers.

We can help you claim compensation for mesothelioma
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you believe that it is linked to exposure in a workplace, you may well be able to claim personal injury compensation.

YouClaim's panel of no win, no fee solicitors includes some of the finest asbestos specialists in the UK who will provide you with the very best representation in your compensation claim.

We guarantee that at no time will there be costs or fees for you to pay, so you don't have to worry about paying anything either up front or later on in your claim. We also promise that there will be no deductions made from your mesothelioma compensation award you keep every penny.

To find out whether you could make a mesothelioma claim, get in touch with us today. You can telephone us on 0800 10 757 95 or request a call back, or alternatively you can chat online with one of our expert advisors via e-chat.