A former building apprentice who handled asbestos on a daily basis when he was a teenager has died from an industrial disease, showing the need for builders liability insurance.
The Hertfordshire Advertiser reported that an inquest heard how Charles Harbert, 65, died of mesothelioma, an asbestos related disease, after working with the dangerous material 50 years ago.
Mr Harbert, of Park Lane Street, St Albans, died at his home last December after developing symptoms of the cancer nearly two years earlier.
Despite going on to become an experienced builder, carpenter and joiner, experts confirmed that asbestos dust inhaled early in his life was the cause of mesothelioma, the newspaper reported.
Hertfordshire coroner Edward Thomas told Mr Harbert's family that it was not unusual for more than 50 years to pass after exposure to asbestos before the related cancer develops.
"I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Mr Harbert died from an industrial disease," he added.
The number of compensation claims for asbestos-related diseases could be set to rise over the next few years, highlighting the need for employers liability insurance.
A legal battle between Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Dianne Willmore is currently proceeding over her right to claim £240,000 in compensation after being exposed to asbestos while attending one of the borough's schools.