The widow of a much-loved North Yorkshire man has paid tribute to her husband on International Workers’ Memorial Day - and urged that lessons be learned to better protect future workers. 

Mrs Frances Greenwell, from Great Ayton, is remembering her husband, Peter, a well-known local businessman and community figure whose final months were overshadowed by a diagnosis of asbestos-related mesothelioma caused by negligent workplace exposure decades earlier. 

Known for his generosity and commitment to village life, Mr Greenwell spent years organising Santa's sleigh in the Christmas parade, helped raise funds for local charities and helped with village events. 

“He was the person everyone went to,” Mrs Greenwell said. “Whether it was something big or small, he would always help. He loved this village and the people in it, and he was well loved.” 

Mr Greenwell, who was 78 when he passed away in 2023, was exposed to asbestos both as a teenage apprentice and later as a maintenance electrician at Head Wrightson, a major Teesside engineering firm, between 1960 and 1969 - long after the dangers of asbestos were known.  

Working alongside laggers insulating pipework and cutting asbestos boards himself, he was regularly surrounded by dust. He received no warnings and no protective equipment. 

More than 60 years later, in July 2022, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He went on to instruct Thompsons Solicitors to investigate the circumstances of his exposure and pursue a claim against his former employer’s insurers. 

Thompsons secured an admission of liability from his former employers and an interim payment, allowing him to begin private chemotherapy and other treatment. However, his condition continued to decline and he sadly passed away in November 2023. His family say his illness caused considerable physical and emotional distress during his final months. 

Thompsons later secured settlement of the claim in full on behalf of Mr Greenwell’s Estate and family.  

Amanda Jones, a Partner and Head of Asbestos at Thompsons, said: “Mr Greenwell’s case highlights a stark reality - the human cost of industrial disease extends far beyond the individual worker. 

“In many cases partners become carers. Children watch a parent’s health deteriorate. Families are left coping with grief, anger and financial hardship - sometimes decades after the original exposure.” 

In some cases, even family members are affected, developing serious illness after being exposed to asbestos fibres brought home on work clothing. 

Mrs Greenwell – who has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the local community - said speaking out for Workers’ Memorial Day is about ensuring her husband’s experience is not repeated. 

“No one should be placed in danger at work,” she said. “My husband, a much-loved father and grandfather, worked hard all his life and gave so much to others. We cannot change what has happened, but we can make sure lessons are learned. If sharing his story helps protect even one family, then it matters.” 

As part of International Workers’ Memorial Day, marked on 28 April, which remembers those who have lost their lives due to work and calls for safer workplaces, Thompsons is also warning about the re-emergence of silicosis. 

One of the UK’s oldest occupational diseases, now being seen in younger workers exposed to high-silica engineered stone - sometimes after only a few years of contact. 

Thompsons continues to work alongside the TUC and affiliated unions to highlight this growing crisis, contributing to a recent All-Party Parliamentary Group report calling for urgent action. The firm also backs the TUC’s Time to Get Rid of Itcampaign, which calls for a fully funded national programme to remove asbestos from public buildings. 

Amanda Jones at Thompsons added: “Health and safety is a fundamental right. No worker should be placed in danger at work.” 

Remember the dead. Fight for the living. 

 

Recent Health and Safety Executive figures show the worrying scale of workplace harm in Britain: 

  • 1.9 million workers are currently suffering from a work-related illness  
  • 124 workers were killed in work-related accidents (2024-2025) 

According to Hazards Campaign, those figures could be significantly higher.