Appeal For Information Regarding Electrical Components Firm

The grieving widow of a former salesman has launched an emotional appeal to help establish what caused the asbestos-related cancer that claimed his life.

Graham Robinson died around 12 months after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. A cancer of the lining of the lung, the illness is associated with contact with asbestos materials.

Following his death aged 76, his wife Carol instructed specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate.

The family’s legal team is now appealing for information about conditions at Electrical Components where Graham was a salesman for nearly 50 years.

Expert Opinion

“This is yet another case in which the terrible consequences of asbestos exposure have come to light many years after contact with the material is thought to have taken place.

“Carol and the rest of the family remain understandably devastated by Graham’s death and have a number of concerns about how he may have been exposed to the harmful material.

“We are determined to help the family gain answers. We would be hugely grateful to anyone who may have information about Electrical Components in any of its various guises through the years and the presence of asbestos at its sites.

“Any detail could prove vital in helping the family obtain some form of closure.” Satinder Bains - Partner

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Graham was married to Carol, 72, for 55 years. They had two children, Elaine, 55, and Neil, 54 as well as three grandchildren.  

While the company was initially known as Electrical Components when he joined in 1958, it went through various takeovers through the years and was eventually known as Rexel Senate by the time he left in 2007.

Graham worked as a salesman throughout his time with the company, which was known as Electrical Components from 1958 to 1972. Following that, the business was taken over by ITT Distributors and then in 1983 it became known as STC Distributors. The firm was then known as Senate Electrical Wholesalers during the 1990s, while it was then referred to as Rexel Senate from 2000 up until his departure in 2007.

He worked at the company’s Ludgate Hill premises from 1958 to 1991, with the company then moving to a newer site in Aston.

Graham, a keen Birmingham City supporter and traveller, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December 2017. He died on 9 December, 2018.

Carol, who now lives in Cannock, said: “Before he died, Graham recalled how his work meant he would need to go into either the basement or roof space to get customer orders, prepare them and also then check stock.

“He also remembered that pipes in the basement were lagged with asbestos and the material would often break off them. Furthermore, he said that the offices he worked in would also have asbestos ceiling tiles which would make the areas quite dusty.

“Graham was a brilliant, sociable man and he just loved sport. He liked everything from darts to snooker and cricket, while he was also a big fan of Birmingham City. It was devastating losing him and I miss him so much every day. I would be hugely grateful to anyone who might be able to help us in our search for answers regarding his death.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Satinder Bains or Emma Ferguson at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office on 0121 214 5281 or 0121 203 5544 or email satinder.bains@irwinmitchell.com or emma.ferguson2@irwinmitchell.com