The BBC has been sued over the death of a site construction worker who developed asbestos-related cancer while working on high-profile drama series including Doctor from. Valerie, Richard Evans’ widow, is seeking damages from the company after it pleaded in the Supreme Court that it exposed him to asbestos during the 23 years of making and painting it.
He inhaled asbestos dust from Artex, an adhesive that contains a toxic substance, while working for the BBC between 1965 and 1988. The father of two also worked on 1970s drama lotus eater and conditioning hard times by Charles Dickens.
Helen McTeighe, daughter of a theater maker, said: “Seeing my father deteriorate at the rate he does was very upsetting. Since my father passed away, it has left a huge hole in my life.
“No one would ever think that their father would almost never be. But it is very hard to accept a time when cancer could have been avoided if he had not worked with asbestos.”
The measure is the latest in a growing number of lawsuits facing the BBC from relatives of former employees who died of mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos on several company buildings. the Foreman She reported in July how she is being sued by Patricia Larkin, widow of Christopher Larkin, a trumpeter with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
The broadcaster admitted responsibility for Larkin’s development of mesothelioma after practicing and recording for 36 years at the asbestos-filled Maida Vale studios in London. She is also facing legal action by the loved ones of another orchestra member, violinist Edwin Dodd.
Evans worked primarily at the then-based White City, West London Television Center, which he left in 2013. In a statement Evans provided to his attorney, Harminder Pines, the site maker described how he cut open bags of Artex. in a bucket and mix it into a thick paste, sometimes with hands, creating dust in the process.
“When I was mixing Artex and water and producing the paste, it was obvious that the dust could be seen all around me and could already be seen on my bare skin, my hands, my forearms, and on my clothes.” Then he spread Artex on flats – landscape plans built by carpenters – and painted the resulting set pieces, like a cave for a ring of Doctor from and a greek village lotus eater. He also inhaled asbestos dust when the scene broke after filming.
He added: “While working for the BBC, I was not warned of the dangers of asbestos, and I was not provided with protective respiratory equipment.”
Baines, attorney Lee Day, who represents Valerie Evans, said: “Richard Evans is the last person we know to have lost his life as a result of inhaling asbestos particles at the BBC site. Tragically, given that we now know that there is asbestos in many of the BBC buildings, Other ex-BBC employees must have lost their lives because of this. The risks of working with Artex, though the risks of asbestos became known during his tenure at the company, or his provision of protective equipment, may have reduced his risks.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of Richard Evans’ passing in 2019 and our thoughts are with his family. The health and safety of all those who work for the BBC or use BBC premises is a primary concern, and the BBC manages asbestos in its premises. In accordance with applicable regulations and legal requirements.
“Because there is an ongoing legal case, we are unable to provide further comments.”