Here at Hampson Hughes Solicitors, our expert Industrial Disease solicitors are here to offer free, confidential advice to our clients – if you feel that your health has been negatively affected because of your occupation or workplace, you may be able to claim compensation.We offer a no win, no fee compensation service to our clients who are unfortunately suffering because of an industrial disease.
Below is a list of the areas of industrial disease that we specialise in recovering compensation for our clients in:
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos particles, which then cause aggravation and inflammation to the lung.
The immune system tries to work against the fibres but cannot digest them this leads to the body’s immune cells forming a mass in the lungs, leading to reduced air transfer from the lungs to the blood and subsequently reducing lung capacity.
In time this can lead to a heart attack or can become cancerous.
Occupational Hazard
Certain occupations such as miners, garage workers, plumbers and builders are more likely to come into contact with asbestosis due to the nature of their job. Asbestosis is therefore often referred to as an occupational lung disease.
Because you might contract asbestosis due to your profession, if you can prove that your employer was at fault when you were working with asbestos then you may have a good case for an asbestosis compensation claim.
If this is the case then we can help you make a no win no fee compensation claim.
Claim Today for Asbestosis
If you think you have a basis for an asbestosis claim, or if you want to discuss your options, call Hampson Hughes or fill in the contact form at the top of the page or on the home page.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the pleura (lining) of the lung rather than the lung itself. It usually develops over 30-40 years but has been known to arise from anywhere between 15 to 60 years after exposure to asbestos.
Doctors can use biopsy results to determine whether or not it is other non asbestos related lung tumors.
Dispite the fact mesothelioma is a preventable illness the number of people being diagnosed with mesothelioma is increasing.
Occupational Hazard
Any building built before the millenium can contain asbestos, 1950s through to the mid-1980s due to its properties it was installed in anything from power stations, shipyards, internal panelling & tiling, railway engines, construction sites to corporation houses, hospitals and schools. Importing asbestos into the UK was not abolished completely until 1999 there are therefore thousands of buildings and structures. As you can see it is not difficult to see how we are now facing a Mesothelioma epidemic
Claim Today for Mesothelioma
If you think you have a basis for a Mesothelioma, or if you want to discuss your options, call Hampson Hughes or fill in the contact form at the top of the page.
Occupational Asthma
Occupational asthma is a common lung disorder which is usually caused by being exposed to harmful substances or conditions in the workplace. It is characterised by shortness of breath and wheezing.
Occupational asthma leads to chronic inflammation of the air passages, which in turn swells and narrows the air passages causing breathlessness. Symptoms vary depending on the level of exposure and type of asthma, but mainly include coughing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, wheezing and difficulty exercising.
Occupational Hazard
There are a number of occupations where workers can be particularly at risk of developing work related asthma, such as bakers and flour confectioners, metal workers and vehicle spray painters. Forestry workers, chemical, plastic, rubber and textile workers, electrical and electronic production workers, storage workers, farm workers, waiters, cleaners, painters, dental workers and laboratory technicians are all also potentially at high risk of developing the illness.
Substances known to cause occupational asthma include:
• Flour and grain dust used in industrial baking, farm work and grain transport.
• Wood dust – particularly from hard wood dusts and western red cedar – used in carpentry and joinery.
• Colophony, found in the electronics industry and present in soldering fumes as well as glues and some floor cleaners.
• Dust from latex rubber usually found in latex gloves used in nursing, catering and dentistry.
• Animal and insect dust from laboratories and farm work.
Claim Today for Occupational Asthma
If you think you have a basis for an Occupational Asthma claim, or if you want to discuss your options, call Hampson Hughes or fill in the contact form at the top of the page or on the home page.
Industrial Induced Dermatitis
Dermatitis is the medical term used to describe any type of inflammatory skin condition. In work related skin conditions the term occupational dermatitis is given.
One of the most common forms of occupation dermatitis is contact eczema. This causes the skin to appear with small blisters, it can make the skin sore to the touch, cause dryness and redness too. Often the dry condition of the skin causes it to crack which causes further irritation to occur.
Occupational Hazard
The following substances have been known to cause or aggravate dermatitis:
Cleaning products, organic solvents, metalworking fluids, cement, adhesives, acids, food produce (especially citrus fruits), coins, rubber, latex, lubricants, soaps, shampoos, alcohol based sanitisers, other chemicals, and even certain plants.
Industries where employees have been known to suffer from Occupational Dermatitis:
Agriculture, Food Industry, Construction, Engineering, Rubber Industry, Printing Industry, Horticulture, Cleaning, Motor Vehicle Repair, Chemical, Building, Hairdressing.
Claim Today for Industrial Induced Dermatitis
If you think you have a basis for an Industrial Induced Dermatitis claim, or if you want to discuss your options, call Hampson Hughes or fill in the contact form at the top of the page or on the home page.
Chemical Poisoning
Certain occupations bring more of a change that you could come into direct physical contact with some chemicals or substances which can be hazardous to health.
When a harmful substance is inhaled it can cause symptoms e.g. breathing difficulties, wheeziness, coughing, sickness or dizziness.
Contact with harmful chemicals can occasionally cause neurological damage or harm to the central nervous system.
Occupational Hazard
It is not always those who work in heavy industry occupations who are affected.
Chemical poisoning may also affect people who are not employees. There have been instances of harm caused to people living near farmland where the crops are intensively sprayed with chemicals.
Occasionally a chemical poisoning compensation claim can arise from a defective product or batch of products that has not been properly manufactured,
Claim Today for Chemical Poisoning
If you think you have a basis for a chemical poisoning claim, or if you want to discuss your options, call Hampson Hughes or fill in the contact form at the top of the page or on the home page.
Vibration White Finger
Living with vibration white finger can be very uncomfortable for sufferers, and the symptoms are often worse in cold weather. Two common symptoms of vibration white finger associated with cold weather include fingers turning white and painful, and a lack of manual dexterity.
With continued exposure to vibrating tools or machinery, vibration white finger can start to affect victims in less extreme temperatures – it can even become a virtually constant problem, and in the most severe cases, sufferers can experience a complete numbness in the fingers.
Occupational Hazard
Vibration white finger usually affects those involved in building or construction work, heavy engineering, mining or in any role which involves using power tools on a regular basis.
The constant impact and jarring experienced when using tools like chainsaws, power drills, jigsaws and road breakers can damage nerves and blood vessels, and over time, these minor injuries can add up and eventually lead to permanent problems with the fingers and hands.
This constant impact and its effect on the blood vessels can also lead to restricted blood flow, which is what causes the fingers and hands to turn white or blue in the cold.
Claim Today for Vibration white finger
If you think you have a basis for a Vibration white finger claim, or if you want to discuss your options, call Hampson Hughes or fill in the contact form at the top of the page or on the home page.
Repetitive Strain Injury
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) can occur in a few different forms, the most common injuries are known as tendonitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a when the median nerve which runs through the carpal tunnel in the wrist is compressed. Sufferers will often feel tingling or loss of feeling in the fingers, pain in the hand and wrist, and a reduction in grip strength. In some cases, pain can even spread up the arm as far as the shoulder.Repetitive movements are associated with Carpal tunnel syndrome. It is common in some office jobs, particularly where a lot of time is spent typing.
The effects of Repetitive Strain Injury are often more serious in cases where the user has to use a handheld device or mobile device, compared to in a normal office environment, because the user’s arms are often in unusual and uncomfortable positions, or they are using a laptop on their lap.
Occupational Hazard
Repetitive strain injury is sometimes called Work Related Upper Limb Disorder and sufferers claim to have pain, swelling, tingling and stiffness which can appear to be associated with work processes that have caused repetitive strain in the upper limbs. It’s thought that up to two thirds of office workers suffer from RSI, yet many of them don’t even realise that they could make a compensation claim for their injury.
If health and safety steps are not taken and an employee develops RSI symptoms from prolonged keyboard use, there may the possibility of making a repetitive strain injury claim for compensation.
Recent increases in RSI injury cases have occurred due to the increase in working on the move and laptop, PDA and BlackBerry use. With people now working on the train, on the bus or at home, they may not realise the RSI risks associated with prolonged use of these devices, which are amplified by their smaller and closer-situated buttons.
Claim Today for Repetitive strain injury
If you think you have a basis for a Repetitive strain injury claim, or if you want to discuss your options, call Hampson Hughes or fill in the contact form at the top of the page or on the home page.
Welder’s Lung
The most common symptoms of Pneumoconiosis are shortness of breath, the only exception being Kaolin Pneumoconiosis, whereby the individual may not have any breathing difficulties. Kaolin Pneumoconiosis or China Clay Pneumoconiosis, as it is often called, is caused by exposure to Kaolin. Kaolin is frequently used in ceramic, paper, medicine and cosmetic industry.
If you, or someone you know, is suffering from pneumoconiosis or any other industrial disease, telephone us now for an accurate claim advice.
If you’d like more information on claiming compensation for industrial disease, please call Hampson Hughes Solicitors on 0800 888 6888 or email [email protected]
