Steel man’s death linked to asbestos
A FIT and active man died from cancer linked to asbestos exposure after spending more than 50 years of his career working at a steelworks.
Graham Grist started out as an apprentice when he was 16 and worked his way up to become a qualified instrument technician, but said he was not given any protective equipment.
His wife Brenda Grist said: “Graham was always very active, but as soon as the symptoms started, he began to deteriorate so rapidly.”
Mr Grist joined Richard Thomas and Baldwins Limited – a major iron, steel and tinplate producer – when he left school. He began as an apprentice instrument technician, based at the steelworks in Ebbw Vale.
The apprentice was responsible for temperature regulation and his responsibilities included making and replacing thermocouples – sensors for measuring temperature. Those sensors were made from asbestos, but he said he was not given protective equipment.
As a young man, Mr Grist left the company for a short period to serve with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
When he came back, he worked his way up from apprentice to become a fully qualified instrument technician. He stayed with the company for 56 years before retiring in 1991.
Richard, Thomas and Baldwins Limited was later re-named British Steel Corporation, then British Steel Limited and Corus UK Limited.
Mr Grist was still a keen walker until spring last year and his family described him as a “healthy and active” person. He visited his GP in April 2019 after experiencing breathlessness and was diagnosed with mesothelioma a month later.
Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Grist said: “Graham’s diagnosis came as such a shock to all of us. He was always very active, but as soon as the symptoms started, he began to deteriorate so rapidly.”
She added: “Before long, he was forced to give up walking, which he so enjoyed, and he lost much of his independence.”
Mr Grist appointed Simpson Millar, lawyers specialising in industrial diseases, to help him establish whether more could have been done to protect him from the asbestos dust.
He recalled coming into regular contact with asbestos, which was in place throughout the steelworks. In a statement, he said there was “asbestos lagging all over the place”.
Mr Grist added: “We never wore any masks – nobody did back then.”
He died on September 26 last year, aged 93, and an inquest into his death took place on March 12.
The coroner recorded the medical cause of death as mesothelioma – an incurable cancer linked to asbestos exposure.
Mrs Grist said: “This has been a truly devastating time for the whole family. While the inquest has provided many answers, it is very difficult to know that his death could have been prevented had he been protected from asbestos exposure.”
Gavin Evans, of Simpson Millar’s specialist industrial disease team, said: “Mesothelioma contributes to 2,500 deaths annually. This is a figure that continues to increase and devastate the lives of victims as well as their families.”