Pneumoconiosis Compensation

Claiming for the contraction of pneumoconiosis

Pneumoconiosis is a group of lung diseases associated with inhalation of certain dusts, causing retention in the lungs and chronic respiratory problems. The dusts in question arise from coal, graphite or man-made forms of carbon. This industrial disease is most common among coal workers, where they have suffered from the inhalation of coal dust. The disease is brought about when people are exposed to the contamination of air for long periods of time, which is why miners often contracti t.

Workers at risk

Pneumoconiosis is generally classified into three groups. Firstly the most common group is coal worker’s pneumoconiosis, the second is asbestosis and the final group is known as silicosis or another unspecified pneumoconiosis. The other unspecified types of pneumoconiosis are any agents that are different to coal or asbestos and thus not recorded. However, the details of the recorded findings in the industrial setting suggest that the majority of these unspecified cases are in fact silicosis.

Symptoms

Symptoms of coal worker's pneumoconiosis are usually a cough and shortness of breath, though further complications involving the respiratory system can occur. This condition rarely causes severe harm, but it can inconvenience you from time to time and there is a possibility it will develop into a more complex form.

There is a long delay between the time you are exposed to dust particles in the air to the symptoms of the disease presenting themselves. This delay is around about 10 years or even longer. Therefore the reported cases of pneumoconiosis as well as the deaths caused by it reflect the working conditions of the past.

Compensation claims

If you wish to make a compensation claim, you must provide medical evidence that you have in fact suffered from pneumoconiosis. You also have to go through the process with an expert to prove your symptoms were caused by the exposure of a particular substance at work. A medical professional can help you with through the necessary processes for demonstrating these two conditions.

If you worked with coal, graphite or man-made carbon, your employer should have taken measures to ensure that employees did not inhale harmful amounts of dust due to the potential for permanent harm. If you complied with your employer's safety procedures and yet still contracted the condition, it could be that they failed in their duty of care to you. This breach of their duty is what allows you to bring a compensation claim against them.

There are two elements to the compensation claim. The first is for the pain and suffering the disease has caused you (general damage) and the second element is for the losses you have suffered as a result of the disease, as well as expenses known as special damages.

When making a compensation claim, you will need the assistance of an expert personal injury lawyer if you want to improve the likelihood of success. Our Find a Solicitor service offers you access to a vast database of legal experts, and can put you in touch with the right solicitor for your needs, absolutely free of charge.

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