Occupational Disease & Workers’ Compensation in PA

Video Transcript:

Hello. My name is Mike Dryden. I’m the head of the Workers’ Compensation Department.

Today, I want to talk a little bit about occupational disease in the Workers’ Compensation Act. I’ve had the honor of representing hundreds of firefighters across this Commonwealth who’ve had the unfortunate event of being diagnosed with cancer. We have been very successful in proving that the things that firefighters are exposed to when they come into your house to save a family member or save your property include carcinogens that lead to cancer and, many times, lead to firefighter death and disability.

They are not the only group of employees who are exposed to carcinogens. If you’re a painter, if you’re a nurse, if you’re an X-ray technician, if you’re a police officer, you can be exposed to things that can lead to different diseases, even diseases different than cancer.

Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Law. Occupational disease is a term of art in section 108 of our law. They list specific diseases that can be claimed. There is also something called the omnibus provision, which states that if a disease occurs significantly more often in your occupation than in the general public, you can even have a presumption that that disease is work-related. If you’ve been diagnosed with something that just sort of doesn’t make sense, or that you want to take a look at it and have it evaluated to see whether your employment was a substantial contributing factor in that diagnosis, we’re here to evaluate that case. We have a lot of experience with all different types of occupational diseases, and with them, I would gladly try to help you and your family in that trying time. Thank you.