Asbestosis

Asbestos, now illegal to use in buildings, was used extensively in the past. Buildings built before 2000 (e.g. houses, factories, hospitals and schools) may contain asbestos. If you have worked in an environment where you were exposed to asbestos over a number of years (e.g. demolition work, plumbing or lagging), you could be at a high risk of developing asbestosis or a similarly related condition and potentially have a claim.

Occupational Asthma

Occupational asthma can occur following prolonged exposure to substances at work, often specific to that industry (e.g. isocyanates, from the manufacture of paint, polyurethane foam, adhesives or surface coatings). When the bronchi tubes in the lungs are irritated, the airways narrow making it difficult to breath. This may cause wheezing or coughing and the chest become tight. The narrowing can be reversible, sometimes with the aid of inhalers.

Industrial Deafness

Industrial deafness is usually caused by the repeated exposure to excessive noise at work. Because hearing deteriorates gradually, the sufferer may not be aware that noise-induced hearing loss has occurred. Symptoms can include distorted or muffled sounds and difficulty in understanding speech, particularly in a crowded room. A simple hearing test can tell you if you suffer from noise-induced hearing loss.

Occupational Dermatitis

Occupational dermatitis affects virtually all industries and businesses. Initial symptoms can be redness, itching, scaling and blistering, but the skin can crack or bleed. Dermatitis can be severe enough to keep you off work and serious enough to force you to have to change your job. When spotted quickly and adequate precautions are taken, most people can make a full recovery. However, some people are affected for life. The two common forms of occupational dermatitis, Allergic Dermatitis and Irritant Contact Dermatitis, can occur when the skin comes into contact with certain substances (e.g. cleaning products, organic solvents, metalworking fluids, cement, adhesives or even plants) at work.

Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome

This condition is caused by the repeated and frequent use of hand held vibrating tools. Symptoms of white finger (VWF) may start when your hands get cold. To begin with, attacks are usually occasional and cause the fingertips to become white. However, with additional vibrations, the injury becomes worse. Sometimes, a person may only suffer with sensory nerve damage, developing problems of pins and needles or numbness in their fingers.

Occupational Stress

On average 12.8 million working days a year are lost due to stress, depression and anxiety (survey carried out amongst British Workers). Work-related stress is the psychological illness caused by overwork or harassment. To make a claim of overwork, you must have made specific complaints to your employer about the increased workload and the stress created as a result. To make a claim of bullying, you have to show that the behavior is so serious that "a breach of duty" (a failure to provide a safe system of work) has occurred.

Work Related Upper Limb Disorders, including Repetitive Strain Injury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Also called Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), Upper Limb Strain Injury (ULSI) and musculo-skeletal disorders of the upper limb, the injuries have symptoms of pain, discomfort, weakness or swelling. Symptoms, caused by continuous repetitive work (e.g. too much typing) without sufficient rest or with poor posture or too much force, occur in the soft tissue of the fingers, hand, wrist, arm and shoulder.