Bridport man dies after exposure to harmful asbestos (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)
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Bridport man dies after exposure to harmful asbestos
12:30pm Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News
A PRISON maintenance officer died after being exposed to asbestos in the workplace, an inquest has heard.
Joseph James RocheRoche, 70, died at the Joseph Weld Hospice in Dorchester on August 8.
The inquest at County Hall in Dorchester heard that Mr RocheRoche, of Jessopp Avenue, Bridport , had suffered from metastatic mesothelioma, a type of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos.
In a statement made in 2010, Mr RocheRoche gave details of his employment history, including a period spent working as a painter and decorator at HMP Brixton in the 1970s and 1980s.
He said: “I recall carrying out renovations working within the boiler houses. The lagging around the pipe work was asbestos and this had to be stripped to access the valves.
“I would take my team in to clear up before we commenced redecoration. Sweeping up the asbestos would cause dust to be generated.”
Coroner for West Dorset Michael Johnston recorded that Mr Roche Roche died of an industrial disease due to exposure to asbestos while at work.
He said: “It is clear from his recollection that whilst working in various boiler rooms and probably other places within Brixton Prison, he was exposed to asbestos.”
