Mr Haywood left school at the age of 15 wanting to become an electrician. He started working for a local company called Lee Beesley, based at the company premises in Birmingham, before being taken on as an apprentice at the age of 16.
The construction of Stechford swimming baths in Stechford, Birmingham, where Mr Haywood was working, involved working within the basement where most of the pipes and boilers were situated.
Mr Haywood found himself surrounded by asbestos dust fibres, regularly seeing large sacks of loose asbestos powder being lifted and tipped into steel drums where it would be mixed with water and turned to paste, which would be used to insulate the boilers and pipe work.
Mr Haywood worked on many jobs in which he was within close proximity of people working with asbestos, and never wore any respiratory protective equipment when he worked for Lee Beesley. He was not made aware of the dangers associated with asbestos.
By November 2010, Mr Haywood was complaining of a cough and shortness of breath. Doctors found that he had got some fluid on his lung, which was drained away.
In March 2011, Mr Haywood was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He was told this had been caused by his earlier exposure to asbestos some 40 years ago. Mr Haywood’s health deteriorated and sadly, he passed away on the 12th of June 2011.
Irwin Mitchell was instructed to investigate a claim against former employer, Lee Beesley. The claim was progressed quickly and was successfully concluded for the sum of £210,000.
Satinder Bains from the Birmingham office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell, who represented Mr Haywood, explained: “Mr Haywood was avoidably exposed to asbestos throughout the 1960s when working for Lee Beesley. Mr Haywood underwent a terrible ordeal as a result of his illness. At the time of his diagnosis he had retired and was looking forward to spending quality time with his family. Tragically this disease robbed Mr Haywood and his family of this."
Our expert asbestos claims team will provide you with free initial advice on your compensation claim if you or a loved one has suffered due to contracting mesothelioma. See our Mesothelioma Claims page for more information.
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