"And, how do you like it now?" The question has been asked many times in recent weeks. As the brand new director of the Asbestos Victims Institute, I have worked in several other high-profile organizations in recent years. So I can compare organizations.
The first thing you notice is that the problem of asbestos victims is one of unprecedented vehemence. It concerns people, in the vast majority of men, who have often worked hard for a lifetime in the service of BV Nederland. They had professions such as mechanic, welder, carpenter or sailor. They will roll up their sleeves for a lifetime. And then suddenly they get the news of a fatal illness. Their perspective on the future is turned upside down in one go.
People start looking in their past. Often they no longer know exactly where they are exposed to asbestos. Sometimes there is hesitation to hold the employer in question liable. At that moment the victims appreciate that there is an institution that cares about them. That enables them to quickly take a number of complicated steps. And that a financial compensation from the SVB comes very quickly.
In the past 16 years, the Asbestos Victims Institute (IAS) has developed into an efficient professional organization. The employment history is mapped out in an appropriate way, the diagnosis is confirmed and the victim is helped to stand up for his right. That is not always easy because exposure took place in a distant past. The IAS mediates for compensation. This is also pleasant for the (former) employer or insurer because it saves a costly procedure.
But asbestos is not just a problem of the past. Every day, the SZW Inspectorate receives a report from cable and pipe layers that asbestos has been found in the soil. In every building that was built before 1993, asbestos is present. The agricultural sector is faced with the remediation of millions of square meters of asbestos roofs. And sometimes a municipality is startled when asbestos is found or released in the event of a fire or explosion.
In my first months of directorship at the Asbestos Victims Institute, it became clear to me that we have the expensive duty to avoid suffering as a result of future exposure to asbestos at all costs. The IAS can make a contribution to this. The IAS has a lot of information about exposure and where asbestos is located. We can use this information to use for prevention.
As me again the question 'how do you like it now?' I say: "It is a good thing that there is an institute for asbestos victims and that this institute is committed to helping victims of the past and minimizing the number of victims in the future."
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