On questioning him further, Phillip remembered that he probably had reasonably substantial exposure to asbestos working for a previous employer, Airwork Services, between around 1959 and 1961. When doing electrical work as part of alterations to offices, he worked near ceiling tile fixers who cut and fitted tiles which contained asbestos and near pipe fitters who were fitting new radiators and who stripped asbestos lagging from pipes before re-lagging pipes with preformed asbestos sections.
The successor to Airwork was still in existence and, although its relevant insurers were never identified, the company’s accounts indicated that it had sufficient assets to pay any damages awarded. Proceedings were issued in March 2008. Although Airwork strongly defended the case, settlement was eventually reached the day before the case was due to be heard in court, for £463,000, in October 2008.