Industrial Disease & Illness

Employers are under a duty to safeguard the health of employees in the workplace by ensuring a safe system of works is in place. In some instances an employer may fail to carry out the appropriate risk assessments to determine any potential risks to the health and safety of employees. Exposure to unsafe working conditions and harmful substances and materials can, over a period of months or years, can cause an employee to develop industrial disease or illness.

There are various types of industrial disease and illness which can develop in the workplace:

Asbestos Related Diseases – These include Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, Asbestos related lung cancer and Pleural Effusion.

Industrial Dermatitis – If the skin comes into contact with harmful substances such as solvents or detergents, it can cause inflammation or irritation known as industrial dermatitis.

Noise Induced Hearing Loss  – Permanent hearing loss can be caused by an overexposure to intense noise or a sudden exposure to loud sound.

Hand/Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) – damage to the blood vessels due to repeated exposure to hand-held vibration tools.

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) – Prolonged exposure to vibrations can result in spinal injury. This condition commonly affects employees that drive tractors, forklift trucks and other work-related mobility vehicles.

Occupational Respiratory Disease – Prolonged exposure to dust and gasses in the workplace is often the cause of Occupational Respiratory Disease, which include conditions such as Asthma, Emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Lung Cancer.

Our team of Personal Injury and Negligence solicitors have successfully recovered compensation for clients that have developed industrial disease or illness due to an unsafe working environment.

For advice and further information please contact our Personal Injury and Negligence team on 020 8826 1203 / 020 8826 2273 or email us at info@caseandlaw.co.uk. Alternatively, you can fill out the contact form below to arrange for a call back from one of our specialists.