Exposure to chemicals can happen at some point in your career. Chemicals are used for helping people get their jobs done. But, certain substances are not good for the health and can leave a sufferer with a long-term injury or disease.
Workers who have been constantly exposed to dangerous chemicals at work can suffer immediate or long-term health damage. Although businesses have been taking proactive measures in limiting their employees’ exposure to chemicals, some may still develop occupational illnesses. A workers’ compensation lawyer in Virginia Beach can help victims file a workers’ compensation claim, so they can have funds to use for their medical expenses, lost wages, and other losses.
How Chemical Exposure on the Job Can Occur
Exposure to toxic chemicals can happen in workplace accidents. A chemical spill that releases toxic gasses can leave workers in an office building exposed when the gases spread through the ventilation system. Also, warehouse employees and construction workers are usually susceptible to toxic chemical exposure. A tanker car that derails in a train accident or an interstate highway chemical spill can injure workers and even the public. Regardless of the circumstances of the accident you were engaged in, you may deal with a tough recovery, incurring a lot of medical expenses for hospitalization, emergency care, potential surgery, and follow-up treatment.
Exposed to Chemicals on the Job? Know What to Do
Every employee in Virginia Beach deserves a safe workplace. They deserve to perform their job duties without being harmed, get information and training about workplace hazards and how to prevent them, as well as file a complaint to ask OSHA to conduct a workplace inspection if they think there is a hazard. In addition, employers must keep their workers safe. However, not all of them take the rules seriously, causing an accident.
If you think you were or are still exposed to toxic substances on the job, you must see your doctor first. You need a medical evaluation to determine if you have any physical conditions that result from possible chemical or toxin exposure. If this is the case, you must report this to your employer right away and file a workers’ comp claim.
Kinds of Toxic Exposures
Some of the common toxic substances that might be found in the workplace include asbestos, arsenic, benzene, lead, formaldehyde, iodine, mercury, chloroform, silica, and more. These chemicals can lead to serious harm to the body of exposed workers.
