Employees seek damages from S.Africa’s Sasol over coal dust exposure
Twenty two current and former employees of South African petrochemicals group Sasol have filed a civil claim against its mining unit, regarding illnesses allegedly contracted while they worked for the company. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the employees by Richard Spoor, whose legal battle against a South African asbestos mining company led to a $100 million settlement in 2003. In a statement, Spoor said the claimants had allegedly contracted a lung disease as a result of their exposure to dust while employed in Sasol’s coal mines. He said the workers had been employed by Sasol at different lengths of time going back to 1971.
