If you have developed an industrial disease because of unsafe working practices or exposure to hazardous substances, you maybe entitled to claim compensation from your employer.
If your employer failed to protect you from harm and you are now suffering from an illness call us at Imperium Law to discuss your case.
For free no-obligation legal advice speak to us on 0800 633 5730 or fill in our contact form and we will call you back.
Not all work injuries are the result of an accident, some are caused by working with hazardous materials over a long period of time. If you work with substances that can affect your health it is your employer's responsibility to protect you from harm.
Employers who fail in their duty of care are putting their workers health at risk, which can have a serious impact on their future quality of life. Indeed some industrial diseases such as asbestosis are so serious they can be life threatening and can dramatically reduce life expectancy.
Health and Safety regulations.
Under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, your employer should do everything possible to protect you from harm.
However while this is true today it has not always been the case, prior to 1974 there were no regulations and workers were regularly exposed to dangerous substances.
Since the Act regulations have been in place, setting out the standards which employers must meet in order to keep their workers safe from harm. While industrial conditions have greatly improved some diseases such as mesothelioma develop slowly over many years. This means workers harmed in the early 1970s and 1980s are now only becoming aware they are ill.
If you have only recently started to show symptoms of an industrial illness and have not worked in a dangerous environment for many years, you are still entitled to make a claim. This is also the case even if your former employer is no longer in business because you can claim against it's insurers.
What illnesses can you claim for?
There are many types of industrial disease you can claim for including:
- mesothelioma.
- asbestosis.
- black lung.
- dermatitis and skin cancer.
- lead poisoning.
- asthma.
- bronchitis.
- emphysema.
- chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD).
- chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).
- pneumoconiosis.
- silicosis.
In addition you can also claim for occupational conditions such as vibration white finger, hand arm vibration syndrome, tinnitus and hearing loss.
Making a claim.
If you have worked with hazardous materials in the past and have developed an illness you should seek immediate medical advice. If you are diagnosed with an industrial illness contact a specialist lawyer on 0800 633 5730 to discuss your case.
Our injury team can review your claim for free and if you are entitled to compensation we can begin the claims process on a 'No Win-No Fee' basis.
How much compensation you could receive very much depends on the specifics of your case. If after a review of your claim we believe there is a case for compensation we can advise you what other similar claims have paid out.
Choosing a specialist industrial diseases solicitor.
Industrial disease claims can be complex and you are advised to contact a specialist solicitor with expertise in this area of law. At Imperium Law we have extensive experience representing industrial illness claims and have won compensation for many ill workers.
Claim example – landmark COPD case won by our personal injury team.
We are 'No Win-No Fee' solicitors, and so there is no need to worry about how you will pay our costs.
Our company director Philip Jackson took on a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) case for a miner against the National Coal board.
It was part of the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation which was the largest ever personal injury action in the UK.
He won what turned out to be a landmark case as not only did he achieve a payout for the claimant, he also opened the door for other miners to claim after the scheme's compensation cut off date.
As this claim case example shows Philip and his team are 100% committed to winning injured workers the compensation they deserve. Every avenue will be exhausted to provide the evidence needed for a successful claims win.
If you would like to speak to a solicitor to discuss making a claim for yourself or for a loved made ill by their job, call 0800 633 5730.