According to statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), exposure to asbestos causes more than 4,000 deaths in Great Britain die each year. The main cause of death is from mesothelioma and lung cancer caused as a direct result of exposure to asbestos. The HSE predicts the number of people dying as a result of asbestos exposure will continue to rise over the next ten years.
There are four main diseases caused by asbestos:
• mesothelioma (which is always fatal)
• lung cancer (almost always fatal)
• asbestosis (not always fatal, but it …

A promising young student has been killed after being involved in an accident while cycling in London.
Dorothy Elder, 23, was hit by a double decker bus while cycling near Holborn in Central London. The accident left her needing a series of operations, but the tragic student lost her 11-day battle for life.
After the accident she was taken to the Royal London Hospital, and was later taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting.
The accident, which happened at the junction of Southampton Row and Theobald’s Road, means that Ms Elder is the …

The parents of a three-year-old child who was attacked by his playmate can claim compensation from the government, a court has ruled.
Jay Jones suffered head injuries and needed stitches after another toddler struck him 11 times on the head with a car jack while the pair were left unattended in a locked car. The incident, which happened in 2007, was only halted when the parents of Jones’ attacker’s parents heard his screams and returned to the vehicle.
The toddler’s mother, Renai Williams, 29, said:
I thought Jay was dead when I …

Three UK companies have been ordered to pay a total of £283,332 after a worker was paralysed in an accident.
The work accident compensation claim occurred when the claimant was working on a refurbishment project at the plant in a refinery in Cheshire. The worker was removing part of the concrete lining of the ‘cracker’ unit, where crude oil is turned into various chemical components. The court heard that the incident was caused by the materials being suspended above a walkway.

Employers across the North West of England are being urged to ensure their workers are kept safe in 2010, and improve on 2009 safety figures.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), last year more than 300 work-related incidents occurred across the North West each week – amounting to a total of 16,385 people killed or injured during 2009.