Asbestos in the Workplace
A fiber-like substance that occurs naturally is asbestos. Asbestos has been used in dozens of businesses and professions for years because of its longevity and resistance to fire and flame. But asbestos was associated with health issues long before its use in industry skyrocketed. And throughout the years, mesothelioma, a lethal asbestos-related cancer, has struck thousands of employees. Contact a personal injury law if you think that you are facing health issues due to exposure to asbestos in your workplace.
Jobs with a high risk of asbestos exposure
Asbestos exposure is still fairly frequent (even obligatory) in several occupations, decades after the emergence of asbestos health issues and increased severe asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma. Here is a list of jobs and sectors where workers have frequently been exposed to high quantities of asbestos:
- both commercial and residential building development, remodeling, and demolition
- construction of ships
- paper mills
- mining
- vehicle repair (especially brake and clutch repair)
- manufacturing of items using asbestos roofing and cleaning duties in structures with decaying asbestos.
Employees’ rights for protection against asbestos exposure
Asbestos inhalation at work is meant to be rigorously regulated and monitored by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other occupational safety organizations; they even establish permitted exposure limits for various industries. Therefore, it is likely that your company will be obligated by law to take particular precautions to safeguard you and your colleagues from any risks associated with asbestos if your job does include considerable amounts of asbestos exposure.
You may be lawfully eligible to receive, and your company may be lawfully required to offer the following types of on-the-job precautions from asbestos exposure, depending on the sector you work in and the circumstances of your job:
- Workers who will be handling asbestos will receive training
- Workspaces with good ventilation
- Tracking of staff exposure to asbestos
- In places wherever asbestos-related work is being done, put up warning signs and guidelines.
- Coveralls, gloves, boot covers, face coverings, and glasses are examples of protective attire.
- Giving respirators
- Appropriate post-exposure precautions like showers
- Medical evaluations for some employees who have a record of asbestos exposure.
Lawsuits over asbestos in the workplace:
Typically, a case would be brought against some or all of the following if a worker (or former employee) experiences health issues that are brought on by asbestos in the place of work:
- The manufacturer of any defective protective equipment or asbestos products
- Contractors and subcontractors working on the project,
- The property owners where the project was being done.
In cases where an employer has failed to protect workers against asbestos exposure adequately, workers’ compensation and not a lawsuit is typically the only remedy.
It is possible that an asbestos victim compensation fund already exists in some circumstances, which could simplify the process of obtaining monetary compensation in asbestos-related litigation.
