Asbestos-Related Disease Experts Investigating Asbestos Exposure At Yorkshire Steel Firms

The son of a West Yorkshire man who died from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer caused by exposure to asbestos decades earlier, is seeking answers about how and where his father was exposed to the dust and fibres that led to his death.

Fred Mann, from Leeds, died from mesothelioma at the age of 88 in October 2014 just weeks after he was diagnosed with the disease.

His son, Stephen, 66, has now instructed expert industrial disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how and where his father came into contact with the material.

He told his legal team that his father worked as a sheet metal worker all his life and explained that he believed he came into contact with asbestos during his employment.

Fred worked at West Riding Sheet Metal in Bradford between 1959 and 1961 and at Taylor Rustless Fittings, also known as TRF Pland in Leeds between 1961 and 1975.  He also worked at British Rail between 1976 and 1977 and Appleby Sheetmetal between 1976 and 1978.

Sadly, he was unable to provide exact details before he died of how he was exposed to the asbestos dust and fibres that caused his mesothelioma.

Stephen, backed by expert lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, is now appealing to his late father’s former work colleagues to come forward with crucial information that could help provide answers about the presence of asbestos at the companies his father worked for and what measures were in place to protect members of staff from the risks of asbestos exposure.

Ian Toft, an expert solicitor at Irwin Mitchell specialising in asbestos-related disease, said:

Expert Opinion

"Mesothelioma is an aggressive and incurable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust. It can take 40-50 years after a person was exposed before the illness manifests itself which can make investigating it particularly tricky.

"Mesothelioma causes a significant amount of pain and suffering for victims like Fred, as well as their families, like Stephen, who have to see their loved ones deal with the terrible illness in the final months of their lives.

"We are now urging anyone who worked with Fred to come forward and give us any information they can so we can secure justice for him and his family." Ian Toft - Partner & Head of Asbestos and Occupational Disease (North)

Stephen said: "It was extremely difficult to watch our father battle this disease, especially when it was not clear what was causing his illness until very late in the day.

“By the time he was diagnosed with mesothelioma he was extremely ill and he died before he could seek proper advice. We know that nothing will bring him back but we are determined to get the answers we need about what caused his mesothelioma.

“We hope that someone will come forward and just give us answers about how he became exposed to the asbestos dust that killed him."

Anyone with information on the working conditions at West Riding Sheet Metal in Bradford, Taylor Rustless Fittings, TRF Pland, British Rail or Appleby Sheetmetal in Leeds should contact Ian Toft on 0113 218 6453 or email Ian.Toft@IrwinMitchell.com

Our expert asbestos lawyers 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.