1. Meeting To Discuss Your Case
To get a better understanding of your case and the injuries you’ve suffered, we’ll organise a consultation with you. We can do this over the phone, at our offices or even by video call.
Industrial diseases, or long-term health conditions and sicknesses are occupational hazards that result either from long-term exposure to a certain chemical or material, or from the repetition of a certain task.
Either way, employers have a duty of care towards their staff, meaning they are obliged to create a safe working environment for you and your colleagues. This must include putting in place measures that will help prevent employees suffering an industrial disease. The exact nature of these measures will depend upon the working environment, but may involve providing protective breathing masks, protective eye wear and ear protectors.
If your employer fails to ensure your health and safety and you do develop an industrial disease, you may have grounds for a compensation claim. This can affect employees in any line of work, but will especially frequently concern people in the ship-building, construction and agricultural industries.
Some of the more common industrial diseases include:
Research continues to be carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to establish a greater understanding of the causes of industrial lung disease. But what is known is that a range of current and former industrial workers are at risk of industrial lung disease. Amongst other, these include:
People within the aforementioned professions are at an increased risk because they are often exposed to hazardous chemicals or particles for a long period of time. This can damage the lungs, resulting in a variety of industrial lung diseases.
One of the most common types of industrial lung disease is pneumoconiosis, caused by the inhalation and retention of dust in the lungs. Other forms of industrial lung disease include asbestosis, pleural plaques and occupational asthma.
When an industrial worker is medically diagnosed with pneumoconiosis or another industrial disease, the doctor will, with the patient’s consent, notify their employer of the patient’s illness. The employer is then duty bound to report their employee’s case to their local Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
If this has happened to you, you should also contact Gibson & Associates Solicitors today. This is because employers are supposed to protect their staff from harm. Therefore if industrial lung disease is a hazard of your job, your employer should provide you with protective equipment and put other precautionary measures in place. If there is a failure to do so and you go on to suffer bad health, your employer will be to blame. You will consequently be entitled to compensation for the damage this has caused you.
I received an excellent service from Oliver and his administrative staff, especially Clodagh O’Donnell. It was my pleasure to do business with you all. Many thanks.
Martin Burke, Finglas, Dublin 11
Gibson & Associates acted for me in the purchase of my first home. I found the service offered to be first class and would highly recommend this firm to my friends and colleagues.
Tony Gillespie, Strabane, Co. Tyrone
I would have no hesitation in recommending Gibson & Associates Solicitors to any person who needs a good professional team to represent them on any legal matter. The team was courteous at all times.
Leigh Howard, Dublin
I would recommend Gibson & Associates Solicitors to my family and friends. My solicitor kept me updated regularly and was courteous and professional at all times.
Kim Nolan, Dublin
Gibson & Associates is one of Ireland’s leading law firms. No matter your situation, our team will use their experience to make sure that you benefit from the best possible outcome.
We put our clients at the heart of everything we do and work tirelessly to get the best results.
We treat clients and each other the way we’d like to be treated and for us “good enough” just isn’t good enough!
When you make contact with our team, you’ll hear back from us within 3 hours or less – that’s our promise.
We don’t try to impress with “legalese” and jargon. We use clear, plain language.
The person responsible for your case will never change. You’ll be assigned a dedicated point of contact who will take charge of your case from start to finish.
At Gibson & Associates, we’re clear about our processes and transparent when it comes to costs. Before progressing any case, we offer a no-obligation consultation with our client care team and will provide you with practical options. Integrity and transparency are core to how we work with all of our clients and means we’ll always treat your case as if it was our own.