Industrial Disease Lawyers Investigating Asbestos Exposure At Ford Factory

Long after the Ford Motor Company closed its doors to its factory in Leamington, the legacy left behind by the company lives on.

An inquest into the death of former Ford employee, Raymond Taylor was heard at Leamington Coroner’s Court on Friday 10^th July. The Coroner found that Mr Taylor died from the Industrial Disease of Mesothelioma.

Warwickshire’s Deputy Coroner, Simon Charlton, heard how Mr Taylor had been diagnosed with Mesothelioma in February 2015, and died just a few months later in June 2015.  Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, decades previously. 

Ray, who was just 57 when he died, was a keen gardener. He kept two allotments which he worked on daily, up to the time when he started to suffer from symptoms associated with the Mesothelioma.

Ray was a loving husband to Caroline and Father to Louise, Emma and Susan. His family said: “He will always be remembered as a kind caring and loving person, always willing to help people in any way he could. We will never forget the short time we had with him and will treasure all of the good memories we have. He will be sadly missed by all.”

Ray’s daughter Emma is determined to seek justice on behalf of her Dad. She was present when her Dad recalled his working conditions whilst at the Ford factory.

The only place where Ray recalled coming into contact with asbestos was during his employment by the Ford Motor Company, at their Leamington factory. 

Emma explained that her Dad initially worked on the Mould Lines and described pipework running through the factory which was insulated with asbestos. He described how the asbestos insulation would be damaged by the daily wear and tear of factory life, and was left in poor repair.

Her Dad described how fork lift trucks would regularly bang into the pipes with their loads as they were moving between the storage racking as they moved pallets about, knocking into the pipework caused the insulation to become damaged.  The asbestos which was knocked off the pipework fell to the floor and would either be walked over and trodden in, or swept up, both of which caused further dust and fibre to be recirculated into the area where he worked.

The area underwent significant re-configuration, in about 1984 which caused further significant disturbance of asbestos.

After the 1984 upgrade, Ray moved to work on the new Vertical Flask Mould lines 4 & 5.  The furnaces had seals made of a thick rope with heat resistant properties to withstand temperatures of 1600 degrees centigrade.  For efficiency purposes it was important there was a good seal on the furnace.  It was Ray’s belief that Ford used asbestos rope to obtain that seal.  Ray would cut the asbestos rope and fit it underneath the lid of the furnace.

All of this created asbestos dust to be released into the area where Ray worked. It was Ray’s belief that he was regularly exposed to asbestos during the time that he worked for the Ford Motor Company at its site in Leamington.

Alida Coates, an expert asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Ray’s family, said:

Expert Opinion

“I met with Ray shortly after he had been diagnosed with Mesothelioma to discuss his recollections of asbestos exposure whilst employed at Ford.

“During my investigations I have also spoken with other men who worked at the foundry, who have provided additional information about the presence of asbestos at the Ford site in Leamington.

“More worryingly, it is my understanding that there are a number of other similar cases amongst workers who previously worked at the Ford site.

“Only a small proportion of those exposed to asbestos will go on to develop Mesothelioma. However, once diagnosed, Mesothelioma is a very aggressive, and sadly, incurable cancer.

“We hope that anyone who has information about the use of asbestos at the Ford site in Leamington will come forward and provide additional evidence about how Ray came into contact with asbestos.” Alida Coates - Partner

Anyone with information on the presence of asbestos at the Ford site in Leamington should contact Alida Coates at Irwin Mitchell on 0121 214 5407 / 5230 or email Alida.Coates@IrwinMitchell.com

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.