Compensation to the family of a deceased worker for working with asbestos
- The metalworking companies Acenor and Sidenor must pay compensation to the family of the worker who has died of cancer.
The Social Court No. 4 in Bilbao has dismissed the appeal of the companies Sidenor and Acenor against the Ere. According to the same source, a worker who died of cancer due to exposure to asbestos refused to pay in solidarity the 50% surcharge for the sickness benefits he suffered.
As reported by the Association of Asbestos Victims of the Basque Country in a statement, the judge has determined that Sidenor did not take any action until at least the year 2000 to avoid risks arising from exposure of workers to asbestos.
Thus, the opinion of the Social Court rejected the appeal filed by Sidenor against a resolution of the National Institute of Social Security that imposed a surcharge on both companies in February 2019.
Felipe J.L.S. The operator, from 1973 to 2009, worked at the Sidenor plant in Basauri, where asbestos was commonly used until at least the year 2000. As a result, in May 2017 he was diagnosed with a disease called pleural mesothelioma, i.e., lung cancer. He died in June 2018 due to a professional contingency that caused him an absolute disability.
The Association of Asbestos Victims of the Basque Country has been "satisfied" with the ruling and has asked companies that have caused asbestos exposure deaths "to ask for forgiveness from the families of the victims" and also "to compensate" those families.
Fortunately, most industrial companies start to understand, after the many convictions, that a small exposure to asbestos fibres, without adequate respiratory protection, is sufficient to cause a serious lung disease that causes ten times more deaths than accidents at work, even... [+]
