Calls from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers’ (APIL) for the creation of an Employers’ Liability Insurance Bureau to help work accident victims access vital support have been backed by workplace injury and illness experts at Irwin Mitchell.
APIL vice-president, Karl Tonks suggested, in an article for the New Law Journal, that a system similar to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau could assist workers suffering from industrial disease or injuries who have been unable to trace their employer’s insurer.
He commented that a consultation relating to this issue of an “ELIB” is yet to be reported by the Government although it ended in May 2010.
Irwin Mitchell has campaigned for the introduction of a system of this type for some time, having worked on numerous cases where clients have been unable to obtain funds for rehabilitation due to employers being uninsured or insurers being untraceable.
Adrian Budgen, a Partner and national head of asbestos litigation at the firm, said: “The victims of uninsured drivers have been able to rely on the Motor Insurers’ Bureau for a nearly 40 years, yet those who suffer serious injury as a result of the negligence of an uninsured employer do not have the same support.
“In so many cases, whether it be work accident or asbestos-related illness, we have seen how many people are missing out on funds to cover care and lost earnings.
“From our work, particularly with victims of long-tail diseases such as mesothelioma, we’ve seen the frustration that the inability to trace an insurer can have – often meaning people are unable to get the support they deserve.
“We welcome the calls from APIL and hope to see a response from the Government as soon as possible.”