Asbestos Widow Sues Pinewood Studios

January 5, 2007 - The widow of a film set painter, who was employed by England’s famed Pinewood Studios, has brought a £150,000 lawsuit against Rank Film Productions, owner of the studios, which are located in Buckinghamshire.

According to an account in the London Times, Ronald Sharp worked on such films as Goldfinger and the Carry On movies as well as other classics from the 1960s and 1970s.  During this time, asbestos was commonly used at Pinewood as a fire retardant and for lagging in pipes.

A statement issued by his widow, Barbara, indicates that Sharp was exposed to deadly asbestos dust while working beside carpenters who cut the asbestos boards that lined the sets.

“As a scenic painter, he worked right next to the carpenters who cut up the asbestos boards, but he was never given any protective equipment to stop him inhaling the deadly dust,” said Mrs. Sharp. “I never expected to lose my husband so young. No amount of money will bring him back, but I will fight to ensure that his former employers, who exposed him to the asbestos that killed him, should be made to pay full compensation.”

Sharp died in 2004 of mesothelioma at the age of 59. Before he died, however, he told his wife and lawyers about the working conditions at the studio during his employment there.

“Before his death, Mr. Sharp recounted to me his days as a scenic painter at Pinewood Studios. He showed me scenes from the movie Goldfinger, freeze-framing them to point out the actual piping lagged with asbestos in certain scenes. For innocent victims like Mr. Sharp, mesothelioma is a tragic illness caused by the negligence of their employers,” said solicitor David Stothard.

The trade union to which Mr. Sharp belonged is currently attempting to track down other technicians who may have been exposed to asbestos at Pinewood during the same era. In the meantime, Rank Film Productions has promised to deal with the claim in a swift manner.