Industrial Disease Claims

Industrial Disease

An industrial disease is an illness that’s partly or wholly caused by workplace conditions, for example by exposure to a toxic substance or an unsafe environment.

The most common types of industrial disease are lung disease and respiratory problems, asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma and occupational cancers. Conditions caused by vibration (such as by prolonged use of power tools), including hand-arm vibration syndrome, are also common in industrial disease claims, as are repetitive strain injury, industrial deafness and dermatitis.

Employers have a duty of care to the people who work for them and it’s their legal responsibility to take all reasonable measures to reduce risk and to make the workplace safe. If your employer fails in this important duty and you become ill or develop a condition, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.

Some conditions caused by an unsafe working environment are relatively minor or temporary in terms of their severity and symptoms. However, many have life-changing effects. For example, people can become seriously ill due to exposure to dangerous substances such as asbestos, and this can lead to a long-term condition or even a premature death. People with industrial diseases are often left out of pocket as well as suffering from an illness as they have to stop work and therefore lose their income. They may also need to pay for changes to their homes, medication, treatment and even full-time care.

For all of these reasons and many more, it’s important to consider pursuing an industrial disease compensation claim if you think a workplace-related illness has affected your life. To find out whether you may have a case, please don’t hesitate to contact the industrial disease specialists at Slater and Gordon Lawyers. Use our online contact form or call us on freephone 0800 916 9046.

Types of industrial and work-related diseases

Our in-depth experience allows us to deal with all types of industrial disease compensation claims, including:

• Asbestos diseases – asbestos disease such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural thickening can be caused by the inhalation of asbestos dust and they often take decades to develop. People exposed to asbestos many years ago may only now be experiencing symptoms, but they can still claim compensation if they’ve been diagnosed in the last three years.
• Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) - HAVS is the collective term which is widely made up of two conditions, Vibration White Finger (VWF) and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) which affects the hands, wrists, arms or fingers and are caused by prolonged exposure to handheld vibration tools.
• Repetitive strain injury (RSI) – RSI is a condition which causes pain in the muscles, nerves and tendons and can affect forearms, elbows, wrists, hands and even the neck and shoulders. It can be caused when you repeat the same activity for long periods of time and also when repeatedly using vibrating tools and equipment.
• Hearing loss and deafness claims - when you’re exposed to high levels of noise in your workplace, without adequate hearing protection, you may suffer from noise-induced hearing loss (often referred to as industrial deafness). Those suffering from noise-induced hearing loss can often also suffer from tinnitus and acoustic shock.
• Skin conditions / occupational dermatitis – when you’re exposed to dangerous chemicals at work without being provided with adequate protection by your employers, you may suffer from skin conditions, the most common being dermatitis.
  Occupational asthma, respiratory and lung disease - exposure to dust or fumes is one of the most common causes of industrial respiratory and lung diseases. Breathing in irritants like these on a regular basis can cause silicosis, occupational asthma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
• Occupational cancers - these are cancers caused by exposure to a dangerous toxin while at work, such as asbestos or other carcinogens. The most common kinds of occupational cancer are lung cancer, nasal cancer, skin cancer and bladder cancer.

Call our industrial disease claims solicitors for a free consultation on freephone 0800 916 9046 or start your claim online and we’ll call you.

If you’ve been diagnosed with an industrial disease, it’s important to seek specialist legal advice as soon as possible. This is because there is a time limit to start a compensation claim for certain types of personal injury (usually three years). Don’t hesitate to call the Slater and Gordon team if you’re unsure whether you have a claim.

Our No Win, No Fee agreements

The majority (98%) of our industrial disease claims are funded through a No Win, No Fee agreement, which is also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement.

This means you don’t have to risk your finances in order to pursue a claim. You can start legal proceedings in full confidence that there’ll be no unexpected fees or costs. To find out if we can offer you a No Win, No Fee agreement, please give us a call on freephone 0800 916 9046 to provide the details of your case.

Why choose Slater and Gordon for industrial disease claims?

Slater and Gordon Lawyers is one of the UK's largest and best known consumer law firms. We have offices across the country in locations including Cambridge, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, London and Sheffield. Our specialists can provide immediate legal representation and rehabilitation support wherever you’re based.

Many of Slater and Gordon’s highly trained solicitors are members of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel, the Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL) and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).

Our unique, client-focused approach

Our industrial disease claims team ensures that people who contact us with an industrial disease get easy access to specialist solicitors and expert advice they can trust. Our legal advice is clear, honest and straightforward, and we promise to keep you fully informed at every stage of your claim.

We know that the nature of many work-related diseases causes considerable anxiety, but our aim is to make the process of pursuing a claim as stress-free and simple as possible. We’re here to help you get the compensation and support you need, as efficiently and quickly as possible.

If you need our help, call our industrial disease solicitors on freephone 0800 916 9046 or claim compensation online.

Our UK contact centre is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - so we’re here for you when you need us.