Workers’ Compensation – Occupational Illness
Worker’s Compensation-Your Rights When You Have an Occupational Illness
In the workplace, there are seemingly endless ways that you can be exposed to conditions that will develop into a disease or illness that limits or prevents you from working. Under New Jersey’s workers’ compensation laws, you can obtain benefits if you can prove that your illness was caused by your work. This blog post looks at the wide range of hazards that can lead to an occupational disease.
Workplace Conditions that Can Cause Occupational Illness
The illnesses most commonly associated with workplace conditions involve exposure to either dust or particulates, or to chemicals. The illnesses tied to these hazards include black lung, asbestosis, mesothelioma, silicosis, and a broad range of cancers. The substances can cover a broad spectrum, from solvents or disinfectants to anesthetic gas or lead. A different, but related hazard, centers on exposure to biological agents, such as bacteria, fungi and viruses.
Though not often thought of as an occupational disease, repetitive stress or repetitive motion injuries can cause long-term or permanent conditions similar to an illness. Working a job where you have to stand in one position for long periods of time can cause joint, muscle or ligament deterioration that can be remedied through the use of medication, or by certain types of rehabilitation or physical therapy.
Under New Jersey’s workers’ compensation laws, you can also seek benefits for certain mental disorders stemming from workplace conditions. You may be able to recover compensation if you can show that you suffer from occupational stress, or that depression, anxiety or other mental disorders were caused in part or in whole by conditions related to your job, such as discrimination or sexual harassment.
Contact Our Office
At the office of Harold J. Gerr, Attorney at Law, we have fought for the rights of personal injury victims in central New Jersey for more than three decades, including people who have been hurt in the workplace. We carefully choose the cases we handle, so that we can provide the highest levels of service and personal attention to each client. We are also happy to take over your case, if your first lawyer does not seem to have your best interests in mind.
To set us a free initial consultation, contact us online or call our office at 732-537-8570 (toll free at 1-877-249-4600).
