Top Five Occupational Diseases in Florida

An occupational disease is any work-related injury that arises over the course of more than one work shift. These disease claims usually involve unique legal issues, as outlined below.

Usually, workers’ compensation benefits are available if the disease was job-related and the effects of that disease are partially or totally disabling. The D-word’s definition varies among different insurance policies. However, in most cases, the disability must regularly impair at least one everyday job function.

A Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer can obtain the benefits occupational disease victims need and deserve. The same benefits are usually available for trauma injury victims, like motor vehicle crash or slip-and-fall victims.

Hearing Loss

Partial or total deafness may be the most common occupational disease in Florida. Noises as low as 35 decibels, which is the equivalent of a kitchen blender, permanently damage hearing over time.

Frequently, a non-work or pre-existing condition contributes to work-related hearing loss. Some people are genetically predisposed to hearing loss, and others are exposed to loud noises during their off hours.

A Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer can obtain maximum benefits in these situations, as long as the work condition substantially caused the hearing loss. Usually, an independent physician must draw the line between a substantial cause and a contributing cause.

Repetitive Stress

This occupational disease could strike blue-collar and white-collar workers alike. Many warehouse workers, as well as many food processing workers, spend lots of time kneeling, bending, or stooping.

Alternatively, these workers do the same thing, like chop meat, for hours on end with no break. Similarly, many office workers type all day with very few breaks.

Usually, rest is the only effective treatment for these occupational diseases. A company doctor, who must treat Tampa workers according to Florida law, usually prescribes the minimum amount of rest necessary so the victim can return to work immediately. An independent doctor suggests the amount of rest the victim needs to truly get back to 100 percent and not miss more work in the future.

Breathing Issues

Surprisingly, lawn and garden workers are among the people most likely to develop breathing problems. When organic matter, like lawn clippings, meets a high heat source, like a gasoline engine, the matter releases benzene fumes. The sweet smell of cut grass isn’t grass, but benzene.

Over time, these fumes cause significant lung damage. Many lawn & garden workers don’t wear appropriate protective equipment, usually because their employers have told them nothing about the risk.

When it comes to PPE (personal protective equipment), employers have a threefold responsibility. They must provide it, instruct workers how to use it, and stress the importance of its use.

Environmental Cancer

Benzene fumes also cause cancer. So do fumes from industrial waste. Other times, a polluting company is directly responsible for such injuries.

Some kinds of cancer, such as mesothelioma, are almost exclusively occupation-related. If the victim has another kind of cancer, establishing the job-related link is often difficult.

Skin Disease

This issue could be a trauma injury, like a chemical or temperature burn, or a long-term occupational disease. Occupational skin diseases, or OSDs, are caused or made worse by exposure to substances or conditions in the workplace. These diseases can affect workers of all ages and in many types of work settings. They account for about half of all occupational illnesses and 25 percent  of lost workdays.

 Work With a Dedicated Hillsborough County Lawyer 

Injury victims are entitled to important financial benefits. For a confidential consultation with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer in Tampa, contact Kobal Law. We routinely handle matters in Pinellas County and nearby jurisdictions.

Source:

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