Asbestos News
Asbestos compensation plan approved by Tasmania's Lower House
A plan to provide compensation for asbestos victims in the Australian state of Tasmania recently cleared a legislative hurdle.According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the state's Lower House passed the plan, which would provide compensation by imposing a 4 percent levy on employers. The bill will now be considered by the Upper House.
A number of unions in Tasmania are celebrating the achievement, including Unions Tasmania.
"It's very overdue. It's taken a long time to get it up," Kevin Harkins of the organization told the news provider.
Many blue-collar workers were exposed to asbestos on the job as the naturally occurring substance was once widely used in a number of industries such as pipefitting, brake pad manufacturing and ship building because of its resistance to fire and insulating properties. However, by the mid-1960s it had been proven that exposure to the substance could cause a range of illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
The news source reports that in certain situations, workers with such asbestos-related diseases could receive $500,000 in asbestos compensation under the plan.
7/8/11
Related Articles
Roof replacement at Connecticut gym turns up asbestos, Ed Michler, 5/17/12
Australian factory fire prompts asbestos concerns, Ariella Yu, 5/16/12
Asbestos concerns arise at eastern Australian transfer stations, Ed Michler, 5/14/12
'Take-home' asbestos exposure is every bit as serious, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos, 5/16/12
Traces of asbestos force closure of Canadian high school, Janet Hartung, 5/10/12
Asbestos exposure causes not just mesothelioma, but also emotional strain, http://icoh.confex.com/icoh/2012/webprogram/Paper7297.html, 5/10/12
Asbestos discovered during construction of North Carolina natural gas complex, Ed Michler, 5/9/12
Walk for asbestos disease-stricken Australian children completed, Janet Hartung, 5/7/12
Korean cases of mesothelioma decline, U.S. cases plateau, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajim.22065/abstract, 5/8/12
University of South Carolina fined for asbestos violations, Janet Hartung, 5/4/12