'More needs to be done' to prevent work-related disease

Greater efforts need to be made to protect people from work-related diseases connected with asbestos exposure.

This is according to Unison, which suggested that companies are not doing enough at present to minimise health risks.

It revealed that its members received more than £2 million in compensation last year as a result of developing illnesses after being exposed to the substance.

General secretary of the organisation Dave Prentis remarked: "Too many employers put short-cuts before the safety of their staff and many workers still suffer in silence, losing their physical and mental health."

While damages payments can help asbestos victims by providing resources for treatment, as well as helping to cover the needs of families, they cannot make up for the effects of the diseases, he went on to note.

The hazardous insulating material is associated with a range of medical problems, such as pleural plaques, mesothelioma and asbestosis.