Event Reminder April 6th: Understanding the 'No Time to Lose' campaign fighting occupational cancers

FREE CPD EVENT: Understanding the 'No Time to Lose' campaign fighting occupational cancers (including diesel particulates)

Date: Thursday 6th April 17
Time: 4pm - 6pm
Location: Trent Room, Hollyfields Sports and Social Club, Woodacre Road, Erdington, West Midlands, Birmingham, B24 0JT
Price: FREE but you need to book a place.

Work-related cancer causes 666,000 deaths each year world wide. IOSH's No Time to Lose is a campaign working to get the causes of occupational cancer better understood and to help businesses take preventative action.

Bridget Gilmour, IOSH Vice President talks about the IOSH campaign and how occupational cancers can be avoided.

Former IDE President Tony Hurley dies following long battle against cancer

It is with great sadness that I have to announce to readers of this page that Former IDE President Tony Hurley has last week. Tony was IDE President from 1992-1994.

Anyone who knew Tony, as I did, will know what a fantastically knowledgeable man he was, with a great Northern sense of humour and someone who helped to change demolition to the industry it is today.

One of my memories of Tony is sitting in his car at Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham looking across at the Ron Hull high reach that was painted to look like a giraffe and Tony's comment that "It nods it's head a bit but it is bloody tall and it will get the job done safely". He was spot on with both observations, it certainly did "nod it's head" but it was the first high reach that I saw and it got the job done.

Recently I have only seen Tony at IDE AGM's and luncheons or seen his photograph in the occasional article in the media when he has met other former IDE Presidents Richard Vann and Charles Moran at his house in Spain. Every year that he was able to Tony attended the IDE AGM chatted to all and sundry, drank a few drinks and regaled us with demolition stories of the old days.

The news of his death came from Andrew Dale who visited Tony a couple of weeks ago in Spain only to find that his health was failing and he was a shadow of his former self.

Tony was a true gentleman and will be sadly missed not only by his lovely wife Christine, family and friends, but also by the UK Demolition Industry to which he gave great service over the years.

One in a million.

Please take a few minutes to read his "Memoirs of a Demolition Man" as it makes fascinating reading.

Mesothelioma Act compensation amounts increased

Victims of the fatal asbestos-induced cancer Mesothelioma who have not been able to trace a liable employer or an employer's liability insurer will, from now on, be able to apply for compensation packages worth an average of £123,000.

The Government announced in March that it had increased this amount from the initial £115,000 debated in the House of Commons in January "after making savings in the administration costs of the scheme"

Around 3,500 victims of mesothelioma or their families can apply for compensation from now and will receive payments from July this year, as part of a £380 million package.

Mike Penning (Works & Pensions Minister), who is well known to those of us who work in demolition via his links with the NFDC said "This will end years of injustice for mesothelioma victims and their families, who have had to endure this terrible disease with little hope of any compensation from the insurance industry"

The Mesothelioma Act was passed in January and allowed for the creation of a new package of support, funded by insurance firms, to compensate more than 800 eligible people in 2014 and 300 every year after that until 2024.

Children of the 60s played with asbestos, are beginning to suffer now

Back in January the BBC covered the story of Caroline Wilcock, and her unfortunate situation is worth bringing up again because it is so close to something we are passionate about: ridding the UK of asbestos safely.

Caroline grew up in the 1960s living in the County Durham village of Bowburn. That was also where a factory was hard at work producing asbestos goods. Nobody wore protective clothing, the doors of the factory were always open, and a white dust was always settling on everything in the village. Worse still, the children used to play with the asbestos like it was chalk.

Caroline is now 51 and has been diagnosed with mesothelioma. The parent company of the asbestos factory, Cape Intermediate Holdings, isn't accepting responsibility for her illness, but has made her an offer for an out of court settlement. She's the first villager known about to have contracted mesothelioma, but her lawyers believes there may be many more misdiagnosed, still yet to find out they have cancer, or who have already privately settled with Cape.

You can read Caroline's full story over at BBC News Tyne & Wear

American actor Ed Lauter dies of mesothelioma

We all know the dangers of working around asbestos without the right training and equipment, but most of the population is relying on asbestos being managed properly to protect them from harm. Still, people are contracting mesothelioma and it is killing them.

One such recent high-profile case is that of Ed Lauter. The well-known American actor has appeared in over 200 movies and TV shows over a career that spanned 40+ years. But his career and life have been cut short by mesothelioma. He leaves behind a wife and four children as well as several projects in post-production.

We wish his family well and hope that the cause of his mesothelioma was found and appropriate action taken to stop it harming anyone else.

Source: BBC News