Respiratory diseases, such as occupational asthma or COPD, are often debilitating conditions which can cause great distress and discomfort in later life.
Respiratory disease claims are complicated. Your solicitor will need to investigate the circumstances of exposure to the chemical, dust, liquid, gas or other thing which may have caused your condition to see whether the exposure was unlawful when judged by the standards at the time.
A medical report from an expert will be needed to address whether the condition has been caused by the working conditions. Your claim will also need to be investigated to see whether it has been brought within time.
Typical respiratory diseases include:
- Asbestos related illnesses and mesothelioma
- Occupational asthma
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Silicosis
- Pneumoconiosis (caused by breathing in coal dust)
- Byssinosis
The symptoms of respiratory diseases will vary, but often include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, wheezing and sore throat. Sometimes they appear quickly, if you are reacting to something, but sometimes they take some time to develop and may only appear towards the end of your working life or after you have retired. Sometimes the company will no longer exist but a claim can still be brought in those circumstances as your respiratorydisease solicitor can usually apply to make the company exist again for the purposes of bringing your claim.
Respiratory diseases occur in many working environments. Some typical working environments and job roles which often give rise to conditions that may see people suffer from occupational respiratory diseases include:
- Shipbuilding and ship repairing
- Metal work and fabrication
- Mining industry
- Foundries
- Glass manufacture
- Stone manufacture
- Clay manufacture
- Laggers and insulation workers
- Cotton processing
- Textile industry
- Chemical industries
- Paint spraying
- Wood workers
As occupational respiratory disease claims are complicated, it is important a specialist solicitor is instructed to assist you. At Liverpool Legal our friendly, expert industrial disease solicitors would be happy to discuss your claim on a no win no fee basis. Click here to email our industrial disease solicitors or call us on 0151 702 5400.