Silicosis Claims: A Guide for Potential Claimants
If you have been diagnosed with silicosis, or you are worried that past exposure to dust at work may have affected your lungs, you may be entitled to bring a claim for compensation. This guide explains what silicosis is, how workplace exposure can happen, how to claim for silicosis, and how our expert industrial disease solicitors in Plymouth can help you understand your options.
We understand that a diagnosis of silicosis can be frightening and may raise immediate worries about your health, your work, your finances and your family. You do not need to work out the legal position alone. At GA Solicitors, our specialist industrial disease team has extensive experience supporting people diagnosed with occupational diseases caused by unsafe working conditions.
Our role is to listen to your history, investigate how you were exposed to silica dust, and advise whether a claim can be made against a current or former employer, their insurer, or another responsible party, including requests for private treatment and rehabilitation. Even where exposure happened many years ago, it may still be possible to investigate a claim.
What is silicosis?
Silicosis is a long-term lung disease caused by breathing in respirable crystalline silica dust. Silica is found in materials such as stone, rock, sand, clay, concrete, mortar, bricks and engineered stone. When these materials are cut, drilled, ground, blasted or otherwise worked on, very fine dust can be released into the air and inhaled.
Over time, silica dust can cause inflammation and scarring in the lungs, making it harder to breathe. Symptoms can take many years to appear and may continue to progress even after exposure has stopped. The amount of time it takes for the symptoms to appear can be related to the amount of exposure suffered, so the higher the exposure, the quicker the symptoms could develop.
Who may be at risk?
Silicosis is most commonly associated with work involving stone, concrete and other silica-containing materials. In South West England, historically this included miners, an industry which was declining but has seen a recent surge with new mining ventures for lithium, tin and tungsten. Potentially affected workers may include people who have worked in construction, demolition, quarrying, mining, tunnelling, foundries, pottery or ceramics, stonemasonry, stone cutting, worktop manufacturing or fitting, sandblasting, brick cutting and similar trades. The increase in worktop manufacturing has seen an increase in silicosis in those workers, who are based all over the UK.
Exposure may have happened many years ago. In some cases, a person may no longer work for the employer involved, or the employer may no longer be trading. However, this does not necessarily prevent a silicosis compensation claim from being pursued, as it may still be possible to trace the employer’s insurers.
Symptoms to look out for
The symptoms of silicosis can develop slowly. They may include a persistent cough, shortness of breath, tiredness, weakness, chest discomfort, reduced exercise tolerance, or increasing difficulty with everyday activities such as walking uphill or climbing stairs.
If you are concerned about your breathing or possible exposure to silica dust, you should seek medical advice. A GP or respiratory specialist may ask about your work history and arrange investigations such as chest imaging or lung function tests.
Can I bring a claim?
You may be able to bring a claim if your silicosis was caused or materially contributed to by exposure to silica dust at work and your employer, or another responsible party, failed to take reasonable steps to protect you. This may include failures to control dust, provide adequate ventilation or water suppression, supply suitable respiratory protective equipment, give training, monitor exposure, or arrange appropriate health surveillance.
Your employer has a legal duty to protect you from hazardous substances in the workplace. Depending on when you were exposed, this duty may include compliance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2022.
Claims often require careful investigation. Our expert solicitors in Plymouth may need to gather employment records, medical evidence, witness evidence, documents about working conditions, and information about insurers. Even where exposure took place decades ago, it may still be possible to trace insurers and assess whether a claim can proceed.
Is there a time limit?
There are strict time limits for personal injury claims. In many cases, the relevant date is not the date of exposure, but the date you first knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that your condition was significant and may be linked to your work. Because limitation can be complex, it is important to seek legal advice as soon as possible after diagnosis or after becoming concerned about a possible work-related lung condition.
What compensation may cover
A successful claim may include compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, as well as financial losses caused by the condition. Depending on the circumstances, this may include loss of earnings, care and assistance, medical treatment, travel expenses, adaptations, equipment, and future needs.
How we can help
We will take time to understand your work history, symptoms and diagnosis. We can then advise you on whether there is a potential claim, what evidence may be needed, and what the next steps are.
Our dedicated industrial disease team has extensive experience handling complex workplace exposure claims, including asbestos-related diseases, military hearing loss and other occupational illnesses. We understand the medical evidence required to support silicosis claims and will guide you through every stage of the silicosis compensation claims process.
Our solicitors in Plymouth will make the process as clear and manageable as possible, so you can focus on your health while we investigate the legal issues.
What to do next
If you have been diagnosed with silicosis, or you are worried that past work with silica-containing materials may have affected your lungs, please contact our industrial disease solicitors in Plymouth for an initial discussion. It is helpful to provide details of your diagnosis, your work history, the employers or sites involved, the tasks you carried out, and any protective equipment or dust controls that were provided.
If you’re unsure how to claim for silicosis, our team can explain your legal options and advise whether you may be able to pursue a silicosis compensation claim. For an initial discussion, please email enquiries@GAsolicitors.com or call 01752 203500.
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