Mesothelioma

... BIU: Construction industry negligence on the rise Nigel ReganChief Reporter Email articlePrint article 3/28/2007 11:27:00 AM BIU: Construction industry negligence on the riseWorker fired after making complaint about lack of asbestos protectionConstruction bosses are flouting health and safety laws hoping to complete jobs fast and move on to the next.

The Bermuda Industrial Union is hearing shocking claims of negligence on an increasingly regular basis - a worrying sign of the times in a country where the building trade is booming - and where there's lots of money to be made.The union told us of one case it is investigating concerning a worker who learnt after the fact that he had been working in a room with asbestos without any protection.

When he complained, the boss fired him.The BIU is treating the case as unfair dismissal.The worker told us he'd been on the site, a hotel, for three days before he found out he could have been exposed to asbestos.He told us: "The site supervisor came out into the hallway asking for the electricians.

He said the inspector was here and that the electricians couldn't be in the bathroom because the company could be heavily fined."That's when he found out about the asbestos."I wanted to know why nobody had explained it to me and all the general contractor and foreman did was give me a dust mask - which offers no protection whatsoever," he said.While the union is hoping to resolve the matter, it says this is just one case among many.

Louis Som...

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