Whether your career has lasted years or even decades, it’s possible that a worker may be been exposed to asbestos in the workplace. Asbestos is an agent that can cause long-term illness like mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. Over many years, millions of workers have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace, usually by inhalation. A workplace injury due to illness can result from asbestos exposure.
Pittsburgh workers in all kinds of industries may have been exposed to asbestos. Most commonly, workers in industries like automobile repair, building demolition, construction, firefighting and welding have been affected due to multiple exposures to asbestos over long periods of time. Asbestos fibers can become trapped in the worker’s lungs or other organs. This can clearly lead to very serious work injury, illness or even workplace death.
It is important to take the warning symptoms of asbestos exposure seriously. If you have worked in industries commonly affiliated with asbestos exposure, you should consider yourself at risk. Asbestos is no longer allowed in U.S. goods and services, however, prior exposure and its affects can take years or even decades to make itself known to a worker. If diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, the first place one should look for answers is to their current or former employer.
Depending on the industry worked in and position, it can actually be quite easy to determine whether or not an employer was negligent for a work-related illness. While there may have been no ill-will on behalf of an employer, this is mostly irrelevant. OSHA sets strict safety regulations about asbestos. Even if not in place at the time of the alleged asbestos-exposure, the case can still be considered for damages.