Are you suffering now because of the work environment you used to operate in?

Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees from exposure to:

• Excessive noise levels
• Excessive and/or continuous levels of vibration
• Poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide
• Skin irritants
• Repetitive tasks
• Asbestos
• N.B. There are strict time limits for pursuing such claims.

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Technical Jargon

Noise Induced Hearing Loss and Tinnitus (a constant noise in the ears) are common types of work related injury caused by prolonged exposure to loud or continuous noise from machinery. The occupations most commonly affected are associated with using heavy machinery, namely manufacturing, construction, agriculture and transport.

Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees from exposure to excessive noise levels in the work place by reducing the amount of time working in a noisy environment or providing hearing protection in accordance with Health & Safety guidelines.

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), more commonly known as "Vibration White Finger", is a condition caused or made worse by the vibration from machinery or tools such as road drills.

The condition usually affects the fingers, hands, wrists, elbows or the whole arm and common symptoms are skin whiteness (blanching), numbness or pins and needles in the affected areas. The effect on sufferers is often a reduction in hand or arm mobility and dexterity and constant discomfort or pain radiating from the hands to the forearm.

Poorly maintained gas appliances (central heating systems, gas fires etc) and inadequate ventilation (blocked or leaky flues and chimneys) often result in carbon monoxide poisoning.

These fumes are typically produced by gas appliances (or other heating appliances) in the home or in the workplace as an exhaust gas. Maintenance of those appliances is crucial to make sure carbon monoxide is expelled as a harmless gas into the atmosphere and avoids poisoning people.

Dermatitis literally means "inflammation of the skin" and is a term used to describe many different skin conditions. Dermatitis is probably more commonly known as eczema and the two most common types are Irritant Contact Dermatitis and Allergic Contact Dermatitis.

Eczema or Dermatitis is a common childhood condition which often vanishes by the time a person reaches adulthood; however, in some cases a person can suffer with eczema or dermatitis for their whole life.

If you only develop eczema or dermatitis later on in life or if your condition significantly worsens later in life then there is a chance that it could have been caused by your working conditions.

A person suffering from Allergic contact dermatitis or eczema is likely to suffer from very sensitive skin which reacts to certain foods and other allergens such as dust, enzymes or animal hair. Their skin will become inflamed, itchy and red in colour when they come into contact with the allergen and if they scratch their skin until the skin is broken, it is then open to bacterial infections. Allergic Contact Dermatitis or eczema can affect a person's whole body but the most common areas tend to be behind the knees or inside the folds of the elbows.

A person suffering from Irritant Contact Dermatitis will probably develop the skin condition on their hands as it is caused by coming into direct contact with an irritant such as glue, cleaning products or other chemicals.

Conditions within workplaces have been known to cause dermatitis or make a person's condition worse who already suffers from dermatitis or eczema.

For example, a person who comes into contact with dust, chemicals or enzymes at work without the proper protective clothing may go on to develop dermatitis or eczema on the exposed body parts such as the face and hands.

Some common causes of dermatitis include coolants, oils, dyes, plants and fungi as well as frequent contact with water. Some of the professions thought to be most at risk of contracting work-related dermatitis include kitchen workers, hospital staff, manufacturing or factory workers, hairdressers, cleaners, printers and engineers.

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is the name given to a group of conditions affecting the muscles, tendons, nerves and other soft tissues of the body. It is an umbrella term and is also known as Work Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD).

Fingers, hands and arms which are subjected to overuse, compounded by poor posture, twisting, cold, vibration or stress, are vulnerable to injury.

There are many common and well-defined conditions affecting the upper limbs. Repeated flexion and extension of the wrist can cause inflammation of tendons, leading to pressure on the median nerve. The associated numbness, burning and tingling symptoms are known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Tennis elbow is the result of muscle lesion or inflammation of tendons at the point where they attach to the bone. Tenosynovitis and Writer's Cramp are both recognised industrial injuries for occupations involving routine clerical or assembly line work and many thousands of miners and gas workers have received compensation for Vibration White finger for injuries sustained using pneumatic drills and hammers.

Asbestos has been in use as insulation material and a fire retardant since the late 1800s. It was widely used in many industries. The harmful effects of asbestos were recognised legally in 1931 but the use of asbestos was not restricted in the UK until the 1980s.

Many employers' health and safety measures did not protect their workers sufficiently from the effects of exposure. As a result there are an increasing number of people suffering from diseases caused by asbestos and currently up to 3,000 deaths a year from exposure to asbestos and related illnesses. This figure is forecast by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to increase until between 2015 & 2020.

The most common types of Asbestos related illnesses are Asbestosis and Mesothelioma.

According to the HSE ten serious at risk occupations are:

• Metal Plate Workers
• Vehicle Body Builders
• Plumbers and Gas Fitters
• Carpenters
• Electricians
• Sheet Metal Workers
• Electrical Plant Operators
• Production Fitters
• Construction Workers
• Electrical Engineers.

In addition these occupations have commonly been known to be exposed to Asbestos:

• Railway engine and carriage building
• Construction - especially installing insulation
• Shipbuilding
• Oil refineries
• Textiles
• Car brake pad manufacture
• Power generation.

Research has also conclusively proved that secondary Asbestos exposure can occur in any home by any individual coming near or in contact with work related items such as overalls contaminated in such work environment.