Asbestos > Register your exposure

Asbestos dust is responsible for more deaths than any other work-related cause.

Nearly 4,000 people annually are dying as a result of exposure to asbestos fibres. In the next 30 years, it is estimated that round 200,000 people in the UK will die from asbestos related diseases.

They will die because earlier in their lives, they breathed asbestos fibres into their lungs. Some will die from asbestosis, an increasing number from lung cancer and a large number from mesothelioma, a specific cancer of the lung or stomach lining.

To register your exposure please print out and complete this online form * and return it to your Union. The GMB will register your exposure and their solicitors, Simpsons, will then check whether you can claim compensation for personal injury at this time. ( * - you will need the Adobe Acrobat reader to view this form. You can download it here.)

You should also contact your GP to record your exposure in your medical records. Your GP may also refer you for a chest x-ray.

If your doctor tells you that you have Mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer, Asbestosis or Pleural Thickening you should contact your Union and seek legal advice. Your Union’s legal assistance scheme covers both you and your family and your Union will refer you to their solicitors, Simpsons.

Why we are refocusing

• Ensuring the Health & Safety Executive introduce a duty on building owners to manage asbestos in buildings
  
• Lobbying the government to establish a National Asbestos Register to identify where asbestos is located in the UK
  
• Promoting campaigns and materials to raise awareness of the dangers of breathing in asbestos fibres
  
• Participating in the Health & Safety Executive’s Asbestos Liaison Forum, which considers all preventative measures for licensed asbestos insulation work
  
• Continuing to lobby the Health & Safety Executive to support the development of the:
  - most effective dust suppression methods; and
  - most effective respiratory protection for those involved in licensed asbestos work
  
• Lobbying the European Commission:
  - to improve worker protection, training and awareness of asbestos across all Member States
  - to improves the enforcement of asbestos laws across all Member States
  Campaigning for a worldwide ban on asbestos with other organisations, such as the International Ban Asbestos Network
  Networking with other organisations involved with asbestos, to promote preventative measures and lobby for adequate compensation for victims and their families
  
• Lobbying the Government to investigate the whole insurance industry in the UK to ensure they will fully meet their future liabilities in relation to asbestos compensation claims
  
• Lobbying the UK Government to support research into finding a cure for mesothelioma
  
• Promoting any measure which will help prevent exposure to asbestos fibres and revise our initiative at any time in line with future developments

For current details of our materials contact: Alf Jones or
Ken Lowe
Columbus Quay,
Riverside Drive,
Liverpool,
L3 4GB

0151 727 0077

If you are not a member,