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A former Reading school caretaker who linked his illness to three jobs died of industrial disease before he was able to take his case to court. An inquest heard that David Hummerstone, a former caretaker at EP Collier Primary School, was taking High Court action against three employers that he said had exposed him to asbestos - yet another sad reminder of how imperative high quality asbestos air testing really is for today's businesses. Mr Hummerstone died of industrial disease caused by asbestos. He had filed a statement with the High Court stating that he had worked in areas containing asbestos, with one of these being the primary school. Mr Hummerstone, who was 77 at the time of his death, had prepared legal statements for the High Court that were used during the inquest. Emma Jones, assistant coroner for Berkshire, read out documents in a writ against his ex-employers. The inquest heard that Mr Hummerstone had peritoneal cancer, for which asbestos exposure is a known cause. Mr Hummerstone said that he was exposed to asbestos at Columbus Dixon, which was based in a former cinema. He had to clean inside the storage area, which he said had asbestos material downstairs, “three or four” times a week, adding that the lagging was “often dislodged”. He also claimed not to have been given protective equipment or a mask. Mr Hummerstone worked at Columbus Dixon in the 1960s, using industrial floor cleaning machines in his capacity as a design craftsman. Mr Hummerstone also worked at music company Thorn EMI as a procurement engineer, where he said he was exposed to asbestos at least once a day and was again not given protective equipment. He worked at the primary school in the 1990s, where he claimed that asbestos lag panels were present in the boiler room. Jones concluded that his death was due to industrial disease. Mr Hummerstone's partner still plans to take legal action against some of his ex-employers. Trident Surveying is one of the UK's leading asbestos surveying companies. We have been in the business for more than 25 years and can deliver the attention to detail that you require if you are to be sure of keeping all of the users of your site safe from asbestos exposure. Contact us today if you suspect that your building contains asbestos, so that you can be advised of the next steps to take.
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