Asbestos register

BECTU and the union's law firm Thompsons have launched a national asbestos register - a record of members who believe they have been exposed to the lethal dust through their work.

The number of BECTU members seeking advice on asbestos issues is increasing.

But because asbestos-related diseases normally only become apparent between 20 and 50 years after exposure, it can be difficult to establish precisely when and where exposure occurred.

All too often the firm or firms where the member worked have gone out of business and the names of former colleagues who may have been witnesses have long since been forgotten.

The register will build a database of information that can help to speed up the process of compensation claims for members who become ill due to asbestos exposure.

It records the names of members, employers and workplaces where they came into contact with asbestos and the relevant dates involved.

Holding this type of information on a database enables the union and Thompsons to search for witnesses who worked for the same employer or in the same workplace at the time and so obtain evidence in support of members' claims – now and in the future.

In the UK about 3,500 people will die this year from an asbestos-related illness and this figure is expected to rise to around 10,000 deaths a year by 2020.

While the entertainment industry is not typically linked to asbestos, the material was commonly used around and in film and television sets and many BECTU members may have come into contact with it.

Members who have worked at Television Centre should also refer to the BBC asbestos register.