On Tuesday 9th June 2009 the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK staged a protest outside the conference of the Association of British Insurers at the Grange Hotel, St Pauls, London.
The protest was staged in support of a call by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety & Health for the government to take action to set up a fund of last resort for cases where employers’ liability insurance policies cannot be traced.
There is call for a system similar to the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB), established in 1946, to tackle the problem of uninsured drivers in road traffic accidents. The MIB is obliged to pay compensation for injuries caused by untraceable or uninsured drivers.
Employers Liability insurance has been compulsory since 1972 however voluntary take up prior to this date is thought to be around 90%. Despite this many people, diagnosed with asbestos related diseases over 40 years after their exposure to asbestos, are being told that the employers’ liability insurance policy cannot be traced.
As a result, it is an all too common story for people diagnosed with asbestos related diseases and their families to be told that they will never receive any compensation. While no amount of money can compensate for the devastating impact of asbestos disease it is an added injustice that where inadequate records have been kept by insurers, victims receive a further blow. There is an overwhelming case for setting up a national database of all insurance policies in an attempt to right this injustice. The Forum including the Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group, represented by widows of victims of asbestos related diseases, together with Claire Carver from Irwin Mitchells London office (pictured), were protesting for change.