A workplace illness is often far different than a traditional workplace injury. With an injury, there may be a direct event in which you were hurt — a sliding door falls and breaks your leg, for example. You know exactly what happened, the injury is instantly clear, and it’s easier to figure out what damages are then linked to that injury.
Illnesses, though, come in many varieties. You can get them in a vast amount of different industries. Most problematic at all, you may not notice the symptoms as quickly.
Examples of workplace illnesses and issues you could be dealing with include:
— Hearing loss from constant exposure to a high-volume workplace
— Respiratory issues from working with dust and other hazardous particles, like asbestos. In the worst cases, asbestos can also lead to cancer. Other respiratory disorders include reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS), beryllium disease, metal fume fever, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
— Skin diseases and rashes that come from being exposed to various chemicals. This includes things like chrome ulcers, oil acne, and contact dermatitis.
— Frostbite or heatstroke. These can happen in extreme temperature environments and when workers are not given proper breaks and are forced to endure the temperatures for long periods of time.
— Accidental poisoning. Poisoning can come from hard materials like lead or from gasses like hydrogen sulfide or carbon monoxide.
Are you dealing with health issues and illnesses that you believe can be linked back to your workplace? As noted, these cases can be tricky since the disorder has to be tied to the workplace and there is not always a clear, one-time incident, so you need to know all of your legal options.a