• Keith Perkins was exposed to asbestos through his work as a scaffolder for BP and Vange Scaffolding between 1961 and 1986. During this time, he worked at BP Oil Kent’s Isle of Grain refinery and at power stations in Kent, Essex, Tilbury and Kingsnorth.

    Brachers Partner Jeremy Horton who acted for Keith said non-fatal asbestos disease cases can often last two years or more, so this win represented a substantial reduction in the delay and stress that many asbestos disease claimants have to go through.

    “Cases of this nature can sometimes take a lot longer to settle so it’s a great boost for Keith that his case was settled so quickly. I know that for Keith nothing can take away from the suffering he’s felt as a result of the asbestos exposure, but hopefully, this win will go some way to compensating him and improving his quality of life.”

    During his career, Keith was often exposed to asbestos dust when dismantling scaffolding boards used by laggers and pipe fitters at the power stations where he worked, and also during both the maintenance and later demolition of BP’s Isle of Grain oil refinery site. Keith was given no warnings or protection by Vange or BP at the power stations or BP’s Isle of Grain oil refinery and developed significant respiratory symptoms.

    During the case as part of their free service to help their client Brachers obtained DWP benefits for Keith’s asbestosis; a lump sum of £5,360 and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit of £52 per week. A specialist medical expert that Brachers instructed found that Keith was suffering a 30% respiratory disability, half of which was from asbestosis caused by his exposure as a scaffolder for Vange and BP. The examinations showed that Keith is at risk of even more serious asbestos diseases, including mesothelioma or lung cancer.

    With help from Brachers, Keith was advised of the option of settling his compensation claim provisionally so he could claim more compensation later if he developed a more serious condition. However, Keith chose to settle on a full and final basis to maximise his compensation from his asbestos exposure at BP Isle of Grain and Kent and Essex power stations. The defendants initially offered £50,000 compensation to Keith, but on Brachers’ advice, he rejected this and made a counter offer. The next day the defendants responded with an offer of £60,000 which Brachers accepted on Keith’s behalf.

    Keith described Brachers’ service as “excellent” and praised Jeremy as “professional, knowledgeable, thorough, personable, and contactable”.

    Keith has also gone to help other mesothelioma sufferers by providing a supporting witness statement for another client seeking compensation for asbestos exposure as a lagger at BP’s oil refinery at the same time Keith worked there.

    This content is correct at time of publication

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