Expert Industrial Disease Lawyers Say Fight Not Over For Workers’ Safety

The daughter of a former Warwick carpenter who died from mesothelioma has spoken of the continued fight to improve safety in the workplace as she remembers her father on International Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28th).

Lynn Stevens, 44, lost her father Robert Hartwell, who was known to his friends and family as Archie, in January 2011 after battling the incurable cancer, which was caused by his exposure to asbestos decades ago in his employment with Bosunmere Limited, which was formerly C. Bryant & Sons Limited.

Friends and families from across the UK gather on Workers’ Memorial Day to honour the thousands of people who die each year as a result of accidents or illnesses related to their work. Events and memorials are organised on the day to help remember those who have lost their lives, but also to raise awareness to ensure that these tragedies are not repeated.

Before he passed away Mr Hartwell approached expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the circumstances of his exposure to the deadly substance at work which ultimately caused his illness. It is usually decades after exposure to asbestos that the symptoms of Mesothelioma develop but when they do it is an aggressive and terminal cancer.

The law firm has now secured the family an undisclosed settlement as well as the costs of Robert’s care at the Myton Hospice, so the facility can go on caring for those suffering with terminal illnesses, many of which were caused by exposure to harmful substances at work.

Mark Lennon, an expert industrial disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said: 

Lynn, from Warwick, said: “Not a day goes by when I don’t think about Dad and how much the entire family misses him. We will be remembering him on Workers’ Memorial Day this year and we are relieved to have secured justice in his name after receiving a settlement from his former employers.

“We also hope our terrible loss will act as a stark reminder to employers of the need to take the safety of their workers seriously and to protect those still working as tradesmen from this hazardous substance which can cause so much pain and suffering.”