It can be argued that Britain is facing an occupational disease epidemic Figures from the Health and Safety Executive showing that up to 20 per cent of the UK's biggest killers, including heart disease, cancer and chronic respiratory disease, are caused by work

Though Mesothelioma is a form of cancer largely associated with occupational exposure to asbestos through working in heavy industry or the building trade, serious questions are now being raised concerning the amount of asbestos found in Britain's schools Most of the UK's 24,000 schools are said to have significant amounts of asbestos, clearly posing an enormous potential health hazard to school children

The Scottish government has amended its proposed bill on pleural plaques, a condition caused by exposure to asbestos, to ensure that all symptomless victims can claim for damages, including those with asymptomatic asbestosis or pleural thickening The bill seeks to overturn the House Of Lords' decision in October 2007 that pleural plaques is not a disease, which left thousands of sufferers ineligible for compensation

Most people spend a large proportion of their lives at work Health and Safety at work is designed to try to ensure that adequate precautions are taken to protect those working in or visiting a workplace from ill health or accidents

Who is to blame Is there really a compensation culture costing Britain a fortune or does the system just ensure that victims get what they deserve

Whiplash is the most common injury seen in motor vehicle crashes accounting for over 80% of the total cost of personal injury claims Whiplash can occur at speeds as low as five miles per hour and around 20% of people involved in rear end collisions later experience whiplash symptoms

The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, better known as Thatcham, released figures recently indicating that in the event of low speed rear end collisions it is popular ‘City Cars’ which are the least effective in saving the occupant from debilitating whiplash injury Whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) represent a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck - the consequences of whiplash can range from mild pain for a few days to severe disability caused by restricted head or cervical spine movement, sometimes with persistent pain

The Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has had to close down some of its wards after an outbreak of the superbug Clostridium Difficile only days after a £300,000 deep clean A Government-backed initiative announced by Gordon Brown in September last year forced all hospitals in England to undergo an extensive deep-clean to tackle the growing problem of the antibiotic resistant superbugs, MRSA and C Difficile

According to The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre (Thatcham) around 250,000 UK motorists received whiplash injuries every year and in around 25,000 cases the whiplash injury leads to some kind of permanent disability However, the figure may actually be much higher with many whiplash injuries going unreported becomes of the low velocity of the accident

According to new research commissioned by the law firm Russell, Jones & Walker, most people in the UK believe that Britain is headed toward a US-style "claims" culture and over 50% of those who responded thought that claimants are motivated by money rather than being victims However, this figure is contradicted by responses given when questioned about long term affects to health, nearly 90% of respondents would bring legal action against their employer if they sustained illness or injury due to negligence