Retired electricity worker appeals for information about workplace conditions dating back more than 50 years
AN 80-year-old South Wales man diagnosed with a terminal asbestos-related cancer is appealing for former colleagues to come forward with information about the conditions he worked in during the 1960s and 1970s.
Keith Yeo, from Pontypridd, has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos which can take decades to develop after initial contact with the hazardous material.
Mr Yeo is now seeking assistance from anyone who worked alongside him at Homerton Rubber Works in Treforest or at the South Wales Electricity Board to help establish details of the working environments he experienced during his career.
Supported by Thompsons Solicitors through his Unite union membership, he is pursuing a legal claim against his former employers.
Mr Yeo worked at Homerton Rubber Works during the 1960s, where he recalls regular exposure to asbestos. He remembers asbestos-lagged steam pipes running throughout the factory, particularly in the mould shop where tyres were heated and manufactured.
In 1968, he joined the South Wales Electricity Board, where he remained until retirement. During his employment there, he says he was involved in removing storage heaters containing asbestos and frequently visited older buildings undergoing renovation or conversion work to remove electricity meters.
He is now urging former colleagues who may remember the working conditions, asbestos use or safety procedures at either workplace to come forward.
Anyone with information that could assist is asked to contact Kirsty Lambourne at Thompsons Solicitors on 07581 060731 or by email at [email protected].
Despite asbestos being banned in the UK more than 25 years ago, it continues to claim thousands of lives each year. Experts estimate that around 5,000 people die annually in Great Britain from asbestos-related diseases.
The risk remains present in many older buildings, where asbestos-containing materials can become hazardous if disturbed during maintenance, refurbishment or demolition work.
Thompsons Solicitors is backing the Trades Union Congress’s Time to Get Rid of It campaign, which is calling for a fully funded national programme to remove asbestos from public buildings and reduce future exposure risks.
