London Underground users should know about toxic dust risk, whistleblower says | London Underground

A London Underground worker who was unfairly dismissed after reporting concerns about exposure to asbestos and other toxic dust has said he wants all tube passengers to be informed about the potential dangers posed by his case.

Micky Steeds, a former professional boxer from Aveley in Essex, started working for the London Underground in 2018; It was clearing decades of accumulated dust from vents, elevator shafts, and inverted ducts (enclosed ducts under station platforms for wiring).

It was a dirty job that made him and his colleagues look like chimney sweeps. He said sometimes the dust was so thick he couldn’t see his hands. Steeds’ cleaning crew stirred up so much dust in a single shift at Tottenham Court Road that the station’s fire alarms were tripped.

The employment tribunal heard Steeds began raising concerns when he discovered the dust could contain dangerous levels of asbestos and other substances such as chromium, arsenic, silicates and iron oxide.

The court heard he was not fitted with a suitable protective mask for the first 15 months. Sometimes he had to use paper masks that were blackened with dust after use.

He was given training on how to deal with asbestos, but only after 19 months of cleaning asbestos-sheathed cables with stiff vacuum brushes. “We’ve been tearing this apart for almost two years [before] “We did a course on how not to disturb,” he told the court.

Steeds said he is also concerned that the hazardous waste he sweeps is not being disposed of safely. The court heard he told one of his managers in March 2023: “We’re like cowboys here, throwing hazardous waste into general waste bags. I’ve looked at the information and we’re supposed to double bag it and dispose of it as special waste, but it’s going into the mixed commercial general waste bin.”

In May, a judge-led court ruled that this and several other complaints by Steeds amounted to whistleblowing and protected disclosures under the Employment Rights Act 1996. The panel found Steeds’ beliefs were “genuine and reasonable”.

“Everyone who gets on these trains needs to know this. People are put in danger there,” Steeds said.

Their complaints were rejected by London Underground managers, who insisted the work was safe and cleaning practices did not destroy asbestos. However, the court found that “there was a report of asbestos at all sites, which was clearly present and potentially deteriorated by dry cleaning”.

It has also been revealed that the London Underground has failed to “demonstrate compliance” with the disposal of hazardous waste. The statement said: “Failure to properly dispose of hazardous waste may lead to criminal and civil liability.”

This “could lead to exposure of other workers and the general public to hazardous waste, including asbestos,” the court said. [Steeds’] Belief in failure and the public good was reasonable. “This was a protected statement.”

Steeds was sacked in August 2023 after leaving the job due to anxiety. The court found he was given an “unfair ultimatum” to withdraw his complaints and return to work or be dismissed. It was stated that there was strong evidence that Steeds had to “admit that his complaints were false” as a condition of discussing his future employment.

The decision stated that London Underground did not consider Steeds’ complaints as notice and unfairly dismissed him. “The reason or principal reason for the dismissal was that he made protected disclosures,” the panel said.

Steeds’ lawyer, Michael Ballantyne, of James & West Law, said the case showed the “stigma” faced by whistleblowers. “Steeds was seen as a troublemaker from the beginning and was expected to fall in line. When he stood his ground, [London Underground] Ranks closed and Steeds was given an ultimatum: retract his statements or fire him.

“I’m happy to see the court agree that this is unreasonable and unfair. This is an important win for whistleblowers and a good lesson for employers.”

Steeds said he felt vindicated by the decision and described it as his “finest achievement” beyond his boxing victories. “I was gutted that this was a prudent decision because I wanted to see their smug faces in court,” he said.

“Not only were they ignoring me, they were telling me I was wrong and everything was fine.”

Steeds called on the London Underground to remove hazardous materials safely and stop claiming they are safe. He said: “They need to get rid of asbestos somehow. It’s in the caulking, it’s in the wiring, it’s in the fire doors.”

Steeds claims to have witnessed bags of hazardous dust being dumped onto the tracks to prevent transport. He said: “Dust used to be dumped on the tracks. I’ve seen it happen. And when the train passes – oof – everyone breathes in the dirt.

“I just want people to be aware of what they’re breathing in. It’s not just dust, it’s hazardous waste, and they don’t know that. I personally don’t travel by subway. I’d rather take the bus.”

London Underground plans to appeal the decision. A Transport for London spokesman said: “In line with the government’s asbestos control regulations, we have strict controls in place to ensure customers and staff are not at risk of exposure to asbestos when traveling or working on the tube network.

“Our specialist teams monitor and manage locations where asbestos is found to ensure the safety of everyone traveling or working on the network.”