Widow of former Longlands chemical plant worker receives settlement following his death

The widow of a former chemical plant worker who was exposed to asbestos has secured a settlement after his death.

John Gerald McLeod, known to friends and family as Ian, died in August 2011 aged 66 after a long battle with lung cancer caused by exposure to the deadly substance.

The Longlands dad-of-two had been exposed to asbestos while employed at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) Billingham and Wilton plants between 1967 and 1970, and again from 1979 to 1994.

And now, following a legal battle, lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have secured Ian’s widow Eileen a significant undisclosed settlement.

ICI did not admit liability but a number of witnesses came forward with crucial information about the conditions Ian was exposed to and the measures in place to prevent his exposure to asbestos.

Eileen, who was married to Ian for 45 years, said: “I am delighted and relieved that our legal battle in Ian’s name is over and we have received a settlement after a lot of hard work from our legal team at Irwin Mitchell.

“No amount of money will bring Ian back or help us forget the pain and suffering he went through as a result of being exposed to asbestos during his working life, but we feel that justice has now been done.

“The whole family would like to thank Ian’s former workmates who came forward with the information our legal team needed to secure a settlement. We hope that these proceedings will encourage companies to take the dangers of asbestos dust and fibres seriously and ensure workers are protected from the deadly substance.”

During his employment with ICI, Ian, a grandad of seven and great-grandfather to two, was exposed to the deadly dust in his role as a rigger, which required him to erect scaffolding to allow colleagues to lag the pipework with asbestos at ICI plants.

He was also required to remove asbestos lagging and before his death recalled that scaffolding would become covered in debris and asbestos dust, which he was required to handle on a daily basis.

Roger Maddocks, a partner and an expert asbestos lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Ian worked at ICI’s plants for a number of years and a lot of his time working for the company was spent in dusty environments where he would regularly come into contact with and inhale asbestos dust and fibres.

“Unfortunately, he was not warned of the dangers of asbestos and was not provided with the equipment required to prevent inhalation of the hazardous substance. It is completely unacceptable that workers were simply not protected or warned of the dangers of the dust which have been known since the 1930s.

“I would like to thank those who came forward with information about the working conditions Ian was exposed to at ICI’s Billingham and Wilton plants. They played a crucial role in securing a settlement for Ian’s wife Eileen and their family.”