Michelin Worker Wins £23,300 Asbestos Damages

The High Court has ruled that Michelin Tyre Plc must pay £23,300 in compensation to an ex-employee from the company’s Campbell Road, Stoke factory for respiratory disease reportedly caused by exposure to asbestos. Michelin's insurers are said to have previously offered £20,000 to settle out of court. Some reports have suggested the tyre manufacturer could be facing as many as “hundreds” of further damages claims former workers as a result of the cases.

According to local newspaper The Sentinel, 78 year old pipe fitter Roy Ibbs worked for Michelin between 1969 and 1985. He received the damages after he “was exposed to, ‘frequent and heavy’ clouds of asbestos dust,” the newspaper quoted Ibbs’ barrister Colin McCaul QC as saying. He now suffers from asbestosis. McCaul is further quoted as saying: “There must have been a significant amount of dust at the factory. It's probably fair to say there were former colleagues exposed to the same conditions. The exposure seems to have come from maintenance work on pipes layered with asbestos.”

However, while more than 9,000 people worked at Campbell Road when Ibbs was employed there, the vast majority worked in rubber compounding and tyre manufacturing – processes which don’t involve asbestos – meaning the “hundreds” of compensation payouts reportedly expected by The Sentinel are likely to be an exaggeration. This view is supported by an official statement published by Michelin on 19 April, after the ruling: “Michelin would like to take this opportunity to reassure anyone working in the tyre industry that asbestos has never been used as a component in the tyre manufacturing process.”

The statement continued: “Michelin regrets the unfortunate illness of Mr Ibbs, which was reported in The Sentinel newspaper on Saturday 17 April, and is fully committed to the safety and welfare of its employees. This case was due to exposure to asbestos more than 25 years ago and was related to the fabric of the building – a problem shared by many other companies at that time. As soon as the health hazards of asbestos were recognised, many years ago, Michelin took action to ensure a safe working environment for its employees.”

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