Throwing Light on How Industrial Disease Claims are Filed in the UK
Many people in the United Kingdom are found to be suffering due to continuous exposure to fumes, dust, chemical substances, noise and vibrations at work. If you have contracted an illness at work and if the disease is the result of your excessive exposure to harmful substances at work, you might be eligible to file industrial disease claims. If you win the case, you might be entitled to acquire compensation for the following:
Your present pain and suffering and that expected in future, specifically if your medical condition is most likely to worsen.
The loss of earning that has been caused by your illness.
Cost of medical treatment, nursing care and rehabilitation.
Who should be blamed For an Industrial Ailment?
An employer can be accused for an industrial disease. The employers running their business organizations in the United Kingdom are obligated by the law of the nation to ensure health and safety at work and protect the employees from hazardous materials at work. Failure to provide the employees with a safe and secure work premises can prove hazardous for the employer.
What Kind of Safety Measures Should a Business Owner take to Prevent Industrial Ailments?
There are certain safety measures that an employer can use to protect the employees from industrial diseases. To cite an example, if a work premise is noisy, the employer should take necessary measures to keep the noise within specified limits. If it is not possible to control the noise, the employer can consider providing ear plugs to forestall industrial deafness. Again, if your work makes you come in contact with hazardous chemicals, you employers should take measures and find out ways to replace the harmful chemicals with less dangerous ones. If there is no way to replace the hazardous chemicals, the employer might consider providing protective clothing and nose masks to the employees. The employees should make sure that they wear the protective clothing while working with the dangerous chemicals.
What If You Are Affected By an Industrial Disease?
If you are suffering from an industrial disease due your employer’s negligence, you can go to the court and claim for compensation. In the United Kingdom, everyone have the right to access justice. In order to get justice following your industrial disease, you can seek expert legal advice from a personal injury solicitor and file a compensation claim case. The personal injury solicitors are experts in dealing with all sorts of industrial disease compensation claims. They are also expert in handling the accident at work litigations. Industrial diseases create an adverse impact on the lifestyle and financial condition of the victims.
Exploring the Varied Industrial Diseases
There are different types of industrial diseases that affect the workers in the United Kingdom. Some of the most common ailments include:
Mesothelioma: It is a rare type of cancer that affects the thin layer of cells covering the internal organs of the body. Mesothelioma mostly affects the people working with asbestos. The United Kingdom records a large number of mesothelioma claims every year. Basically, there are 3 types of mesothelioma. They include pleural mesothelionma, peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelionma is common in the industrial and manufacturing industries of the United Kingdom.
Vibration White Finger: Vibration White Finger compensation claims are filed when a worker suffers from an industrial disease that occurred due to continuous handling of vibrating tools like chainsaws, power drills and pneumatic drills. More than ten thousand workers in the United Kingdom are found to suffer from Vibration White Finger. Vibration White Finger often leads to Hand- Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) which is a type of Raynaud’s disease. Some of the common symptoms of this disease include white fingers and lack of sensation in the fingers. Sometimes, the patient might experience tingling sensation in his fingers. In severe instances, the patient might find it difficult to eat, drink and perform the daily activities that need to be done using fingers. A compensation case can be filed against the employer in the instance of Vibration White Finger. The amounts of compensation might be different for different cases. The amount is usually decided on the basis of the severity of the condition.
Dermatitis: Dermatitis refers to the skin disease that occurs due to continuous contact with something that causes allergic reactions. Some of the common symptoms of dermatitis include redness of the affected part of the skin, scaling and blistering of the skin. In severe cases, the skin undergoes inflammation and becomes red. The symptoms of dermatitis can get serious and the affected worker might find it difficult to work. If you have been affected by dermatitis due to your direct contact with irritants at work, you should inform your employer about it f your employer is not ready to pay heed to your problems, you can file an industrial disease claim against your employer.
Noise induced hearing loss: Prolonged and continuous exposure to high sounds can cause noise-induced hearing loss. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that exposure to loud noise is one of the most prominent reasons behind permanent hearing loss. In the UK workplaces, noise-induced hearing loss is common. If you have been subjected to such hearing damage, you can file a case against your employer.