Industrial Disease Claims

Asbestos-related diseases

The fine dust from disturbed asbestos contains asbestos fibres; when this dust is inhaled, the fibres enter the lungs and can seriously damage the individual’s health.

Individuals who develop asbestosis have a higher risk of developing other serious health conditions including: pleural disease, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Duty of care

In order to bring a compensation claim for an asbestos related disease it is necessary to establish that your exposure to asbestos was caused by the fault of another; whether it was your employer, a public organisation, a nearby factory or as a result of exposure in your home due to asbestos fibres being transported somehow.

It can take up to 40 years or more after initial exposure for an asbestos related disease to present itself. Each type of disease varies depending upon the exposure to fibres or dust, the time between exposure and the onset of disease.

Chemical poisoning and hazardous materials

Employers are required to control the use of chemicals and exposure to hazardous materials at work and must assess the risks in the workplace. Following risk assessments, employers are required to implement and maintain effective control measures. Chemicals or hazardous materials in the workplace can result in poisoning and in some instances diseases such as asthma, dermatitis or cancer.

If you or a loved one have been poisoned by a chemical or harmed by a hazardous material as a result of your working environment then you may be able to bring a claim for compensation.

Respiratory diseases

Employees who work with asbestos, clay, coal, rock, sand and textiles are often exposed to dust that may result in an industrial or occupational respiratory disease if the appropriate safety measures have not been put in place.

Inappropriate exposure to spores in the workplace can also result in occupational respiratory disease compensation claims. Workers who are most at risk of respiratory illness as a result of spores generally work with: grain, wool, hay or animals.

Industrial and occupational skin diseases

An industrial or occupational skin disease is a skin condition that is wholly or partially caused by your working environment.

Industrial or occupational skin diseases are caused by direct contact with hazardous substances. Contact can occur as a result of: immersion of a body part, touching contaminated tools, splashing and spillages in the workplace. Most industrial and occupational skin diseases affect the hands and the forearms as they are the body parts most likely to be in regular contact with hazardous substances.

Industrial Deafness and Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)

Industrial deafness, also referred to as noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), is a form of industrial injury in which damage is gradually caused to your hearing as a result of repeated exposure to excessive noise at work.

Noise induced hearing loss is more commonly found in those who work in typically noisy industries or environments such as steel works, foundries, construction, mining and manufacturing. Exposure to excessively loud noise can overstimulate hair cells in the ear. Where this exposure occurs over a long period of time, the hair cells become damaged, affecting their ability to pick up the various frequencies that are then transmitted to our brains and translated into sound.

Time limit to make an industrial disease compensation claim

Industrial and occupational disease compensation claims should be brought within three years of the date of knowledge. The date of knowledge is generally the date from which you first realised or suspected that your illness was related to your employment; or three years from the date of the onset of your symptoms when it would have been reasonable to make the connection between the illness and the working environment.

In addition to representing general members of the public, we also act on behalf of many trade unions and their members. Our experts recognise that our clients want us to not only fight for the best possible level of financial compensation but also to get them assistance in terms of rehabilitation, medical care and potentially work or home adaptations.