Former electrician with asbestos cancer appeals for help
A former electrician and mechanical engineer from Halifax is appealing to his old colleagues for help after being diagnosed with asbestos cancer.
Warren Parker, 71, was diagnosed in June with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung associated with exposure to asbestos, often decades previously.
Following his diagnosis, Warren, of Manor Heath, Halifax instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his illness and how he was exposed to hazardous asbestos.
Warren is now appealing for information from his former colleagues about the conditions he worked under and is keen to trace anyone who worked with him at Southern & Redfern Limited in Woodhead Road, Listerhills, Bradford between 1967 and 2011.
Oliver Collett, from Irwin Mitchell, said: “If anyone who remembers Warren from his time at Southern & Redfern, or if anyone who has information about working conditions at the firm could come forward it would mean a lot to Warren. It could play a key part in providing Warren and his family with the answers they deserve.”
Born in 1951, Warren left school aged 15 to start an apprenticeship as an electrical and mechanical engineer at Southern & Redfern Limited in 1967. The company was based at Woodhead Road, Bradford and, undertook big contracts around the region for electrical installations, repairs and maintenance.
Warren completed his apprenticeship aged 21 and served the firm as a qualified engineer until he was promoted to chargehand in the 1980s. In a long and successful career with the firm lasting over 40 years, he was promoted to foreman and assistant manager.
Based in the firm’s electrical motor repair workshop, Warren fears he was exposed to asbestos on a regular basis. During his apprenticeship, Warren recalled stripping and dismantling electrical switchgear, in which asbestos was used as a flash barrier between electrical components.
“Sothern was a family owned business originally, but I know it changed hands a few times. If any of the old lads who worked there could get in contact, it would mean a lot.”
Call 0113 394 6784 or email oliver.collett@irwinmitchell.com,