Author(s)
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) has announced its intention to conduct a review of selected malignant and non-malignant respiratory diseases and their relationships with occupational exposures.
The IIAC is the advisory body responsible for reviewing the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme, which supports employees who are disabled as a result of an accident at work or the development of a prescribed disease caused by their work.
The IIAC currently lists 70 prescribed diseases in addition to the occupational exposures which might cause them. The review announced by the IIAC reflects the ongoing need to ensure the list of prescribed diseases reflects modern day working practices and evolving exposure risks.
The review will focus primarily on lung cancer and COPD, and will involve a comprehensive review and evaluation of relevant literature, including epidemiology.
The first phase of the review will aim to identify those industries, occupations and exposures associated with respiratory diseases, before prioritising them with regard to the relative magnitude of risk, prevalence of exposure and severity of disease associated with each.
In the second phase, reviews of epidemiological literature will be updated or produced in relation to the priority areas identified in the first phase. In addition, in circumstances where there is clearly an increased risk of disease but not a doubling of the risk, relevant exposure data will be reviewed and collated.
As the IIAC relies on independent, peer-reviewed research to inform its determination of prescribed diseases, it now seeks expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced parties to competitively tender for participation in the review. More information can be found here.
On 10 April 2024, the High Court handed down its decision in Williams-Henry v Associated British Ports Holdings Ltd [2024] EWHC 806 (KB). In that judgment the presentation of the Claimant’s claim for personal injury was considered fundamentally dishonest and so was dismissed under section 57 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (“the 2015 Act”). In considering whether…
After the introduction of the reforms to the Civil Procedure Rules in 2013, you may recall some judges becoming, at least initially, excited about the prospect of experts giving evidence concurrently (so-called “hot tubbing”). Since that early flush of excitement, I have been involved in only one trial in which it was used and I…
Provisional damages operate as an exception to the general rule that damages are assessed on a once-and-for-all basis. Where a claimant finds themselves at a risk of developing a disease or deterioration in their physical or mental condition in the future, the general rule would require the court to assess that risk and compensate the…
