If you work in an industrial workplace or any workplace which has chemicals, your health is at risk especially if your employer has not provided you with appropriate safety gear. The thing is most chemicals are harmful for us whether they are ingested or come in contact with the skin. You may recieve worker’s compensation for your exposure.
In order to ensure that workers remain safe from exposure, employers have to make them aware with the types of chemicals they can come in contact with during their duties along with their possible harmful effects. This is a standard OSHA rule and one which all businesses have to ensure if they don’t want to be slapped with a lawsuit. This includes:
-Examining the hazards of the chemicals the export and import
-Preparing labels and safety information to display the hazard information
-Providing safety data sheets to all employees and especially to exposed workers
-Training workers to handle chemicals properly
-Providing them safety equipment and measures they can use to protect themselves.
Chemicals are usually present in 3 forms namely solids, liquid and gas and while some are safer than others, even milder ones can cause skin irritation, illnesses and breathing issues. These can escalate to more serious and even life threatening conditions if workers are exposed to chemicals for prolonged periods of time without safety gear to protect them.
In liquid chemical hazards, cleaning products, paint, acid, solvents etc are considered to be lethal in large doses. If they are stored in unlabeled containers, chances of contamination and exposure increase automatically. In gases, chemical vapors and fumes from welding or exposure to propane, carbon monoxide, acetylene, helium etc can cause a number of illnesses and even life threatening cancers. Flammable material such as solvents and explosive chemicals don’t have to be near fire to cause some serious damage to a body they come in contact with.
The role of worker’s compensation
Employees have every right to ask for worker’s compensation from their employers if they have chemical exposure in the workplace causes them bodily harm. The rule of thumb is that no worker should be at risk if they are given appropriate safety gear to protect themselves. Failure to reinforce those safety regulations and equipment falls on employers, not their workers.
However, reforming filing for worker’s compensation, it is a good idea to seek legal aid. Depending on th substance which cause bodily harm and the workplace the employee comes from, OSHA might have to step in as well with administrative claims. An experienced attorney will also be able to tell you who else should be held accountable for your state and how much you can claim in medical expenses.
Chemical Exposure? Call Attorney Javier Marcos
An experienced workplace insurance attorney such as those at Javier Marcos & Associates can help you prove your claim and strengthen it for a strong case. Call us by dialing 713-999-4444 / 1(800) 444-8118 today and we will face your insurance company in your stead without hesitation.
https://www.attorneyjaviermarcos.com/accidents/chemical-exposure/
