Riverside Workplace Illness Claims Lawyers
Fighting for Workers’ Comp Benefits for Sick and Injured Workers in Riverside
California’s workers’ compensation scheme is not limited to coverage for falls and explosions. If you suffer from an illness, disease, or other cumulative condition as a result of your job, you are entitled to coverage. Proving that your illness was caused by workplace exposure or otherwise performing your job duties can be a challenge, though, requiring assistance from a savvy California workplace injury lawyer.
At Ochoa & Calderón, our dedicated California workplace illness attorneys have over twenty years of experience helping injured workers get the medical care and benefits they are owed for occupational illnesses. We help employees recover benefits and damages related to all manner of injuries and illnesses, whether they are simple to prove or more complex. Let our experienced workers’ compensation legal team fight for your right to coverage for your medical bills, lost wages, and other benefits.
Common Workplace Illnesses
The workplace illness legal team at Ochoa & Calderón is ready to help you fight for your right to workers’ comp benefits and other available compensation. We help workers affected by all manner of illnesses, including the following:
Skin conditions. Physical laborers and factory workers are at high risk for a range of skin conditions. Outdoor workers are more likely to contract skin cancer from prolonged sun exposure, while roofers, construction workers, factory workers, agricultural workers, and others are exposed to a wide range of harmful chemicals. Common skin conditions include rashes, ulcers, inflammation, skin rashes, infections, hives, dermatitis, skin cancer, and eczema.
Respiratory illnesses. Many workers suffer respiratory distress because of exposure to harmful chemicals in the workplace. Heavy or repeated exposure to toxic gasses, asbestos, air pollution, dust, coal, and other dangerous pollutants can lead to any number of lung problems. Many workers suffer from occupational asthma, asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, tuberculosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and other respiratory conditions.
Hearing loss. Hearing loss is one of the most common occupational diseases in the United States. Workers who deal with loud machinery or equipment, such as construction workers, welders, and factory workers are at especially high risk. Even a single event such as an explosion can lead to hearing loss. Ear safety is often ignored in favor of more apparent dangers, but the damage can be just as severe and debilitating.
Overexertion. Any number of illnesses and ailments can occur as a result of overexertion and repetitive, strenuous activities. Workers in several industries commonly suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, arthritis, hernias, tennis elbow, joint injuries, nerve damage, and any number of other musculoskeletal disorders.
Workers’ Compensation and COVID-19
Even as most businesses have reopened and many companies return to in-person work, the novel coronavirus continues to permeate. Workers continue to get infected and either miss work at a minimum or suffer greater effects from severe or “long COVID.” COVID-19 occupies an unusual space in law and politics, and the same specificity applies to the workers’ comp system.
In California, you can collect workers’ comp benefits for a COVID-19 infection under certain circumstances. Workers must be able to show that they were exposed at work as opposed to exposed elsewhere. Because the coronavirus can technically be contracted anywhere, workers generally need to satisfy certain conditions to utilize a “presumption” that they contracted the illness while on the job. Two groups benefit from such a presumption:
- Especially at-risk workers, including peace officers, firefighters, health care workers, and first responders;
- Workers who test positive during an “outbreak” at work, meaning a set number of employees at the same workplace have also tested positive within a 14-day period.
Employers and insurance companies try to limit coronavirus-related claims, so you need all the help you can get. A savvy workers’ comp attorney at Ochoa & Calderón can help you prove your COVID-19 workers’ comp claim.
Our Dedicated Riverside Workplace Illness and Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Are Here to Fight for You
For help getting benefits after an on-the-job illness or workplace injury, call Ochoa & Calderón to discuss your case with a zealous and compassionate California workers’ comp lawyer. Call 951-901-4444 in Riverside or 844-401-0750 toll-free throughout Southern California.
