Asbestos Workers’ Compensation in Georgia: What Injured Workers Need to Know
At Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Atlanta, we focus on helping injured workers across Georgia get the benefits they deserve. We know how hard it is to face a serious illness like mesothelioma or asbestosis, and we are committed to standing by you from your first consultation to the resolution of your case. Our team works every day to protect your rights, guide you through the Georgia workers’ compensation system, and fight for the medical care and wage benefits you need.
Asbestos exposure remains a serious threat for many Georgia workers, especially those in construction, manufacturing, shipyards, and automotive repair. Even small amounts of asbestos fibers can cause life threatening illnesses years after the initial contact. Georgia’s workers’ compensation system provides medical and wage replacement benefits for employees diagnosed with asbestos related disease caused by their job.
In this blog, you will learn how asbestos exposure affects Georgia workers, which asbestos related diseases are covered under state law, how to file a claim, and why working with an experienced Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer can help you secure the benefits you need.
Understanding Asbestos and Its Dangers
Asbestos is a mineral once used widely in construction and manufacturing. It is durable, heat resistant, and cost effective, but it is also highly toxic. Workers in Georgia continue to face risks from asbestos exposure in older buildings, industrial facilities, and certain manufacturing processes.
Types of Asbestos
There are several forms of asbestos. Chrysotile asbestos or white asbestos was the most common in Georgia construction materials such as roofing shingles, cement sheets, and vinyl floor tiles. Amosite or brown asbestos and crocidolite or blue asbestos were used in pipe insulation, brake linings, and other industrial products. Each type contains needle like asbestos fibers that can cause severe health effects when inhaled.
Common Asbestos Containing Materials
Asbestos appeared in a wide range of products. In Georgia, it was found in ceiling tiles, floor tiles, thermal insulation products, brake pads, friction products, asbestos paper, and asbestos cement products. Many of these asbestos containing products remain in older buildings and vehicles. Small amounts of contained asbestos can become airborne during demolition work, renovations, or industrial repair jobs.
How Asbestos Fibers Cause Harm
When disturbed, asbestos fibers become airborne. Workers may inhale these fibers without noticing. The body cannot break down pure asbestos fibers, and they remain in the lungs for years. This can lead to asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. Even short term asbestos exposure can pose a risk.
Ongoing Risk in Georgia Industries
Asbestos use in new products is now restricted, but it is not completely banned in the United States. In Georgia, asbestos hazards are still present in industries such as construction, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Protect workers policies, proper safety equipment, and licensed abatement contractors are essential to remove asbestos safely and prevent job related injury.
Asbestos-Related Diseases Recognized Under Georgia Law
Georgia workers’ compensation law covers certain diseases caused by asbestos exposure. These conditions are considered occupational diseases under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-280 when they result from job duties and not from causes outside work.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer linked directly to asbestos fibers. It can take decades after exposure for symptoms to appear. Georgia workers in construction, shipyards, and manufacturing have been diagnosed with mesothelioma after contact with asbestos containing materials such as pipe insulation and cement sheets.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease caused by breathing asbestos fibers over time. The fibers scar lung tissue, making it harder to breathe. Workers exposed to asbestos in floor tiles, thermal insulation products, or roofing shingles may develop asbestosis many years after their job related injury.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer can occur in workers who inhaled asbestos fibers. The risk is higher for those who also smoke. Jobs in Georgia that involved demolition work, brake linings, or asbestos cement products have shown increased cases of asbestos related lung cancer.
Other Recognized Conditions
Other asbestos related diseases include pleural plaques, pleural thickening, and fluid buildup around the lungs. These conditions can cause breathing problems and may indicate past exposure to pure asbestos or asbestos containing products. They are recognized by Georgia’s workers’ compensation system if linked to work duties.
High-Risk Georgia Occupations and Industries
Some jobs in Georgia carry a higher risk of asbestos exposure. Workers in these industries often handle asbestos containing materials or work in buildings and equipment that still contain asbestos products.
Shipyard Workers
Shipyards in Savannah and other coastal areas once used large amounts of asbestos. Pipe insulation, thermal insulation products, and fire retardant materials on ships contained chrysotile asbestos, brown asbestos, and blue asbestos. Ship repair and demolition work can release dangerous asbestos fibers into the air.
Construction Workers
Construction workers in the Atlanta metro area and across Georgia may encounter asbestos in older buildings. Common sources include ceiling tiles, vinyl floor tiles, roofing shingles, and asbestos cement products. Renovation and demolition work can disturb contained asbestos and create a serious inhalation risk.
Manufacturing and Paper Mill Employees
Georgia manufacturing plants and paper mills once used asbestos containing products in machinery, steam engines, and industrial products. Asbestos paper, cement sheets, and insulation materials were common in these settings. Workers can still be exposed when maintaining or dismantling old equipment.
Automotive and Railroad Mechanics
Brake linings, brake pads, and other friction products often contained asbestos. Automotive repair workers and railroad mechanics may be exposed when replacing or grinding these parts. Even small amounts of pure asbestos dust from these products can cause health effects.
Firefighters and Emergency Responders
Georgia law recognizes that firefighters and some emergency responders have a higher risk of asbestos related disease. Burning buildings can release asbestos fibers from construction materials such as floor tiles, cement sheets, and pipe insulation. These workers may qualify for presumptive coverage under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-280.1.
How Georgia’s Workers’ Compensation Covers Asbestos-Related Illness
Georgia’s workers’ compensation system provides benefits for employees who develop asbestos related disease from their job. The law treats these illnesses as occupational diseases when they meet the requirements in O.C.G.A. § 34-9-280.
Covered Conditions
Workers’ compensation benefits apply to conditions proven to be caused by asbestos exposure at work. Covered diseases include mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos related lung cancer, and other recognized respiratory conditions. The illness must be linked to the job and not to outside exposures.
Medical Benefits
In Georgia, workers’ compensation pays for all reasonable and necessary medical care related to the asbestos disease. This includes doctor visits, hospital care, diagnostic tests, surgery, chemotherapy, and respiratory therapy. Treatment must be provided by doctors in the employer’s approved medical provider network unless an exception applies.
Wage Replacement Benefits
Workers who cannot work because of an asbestos related disease may receive income benefits. Temporary total disability benefits are available for those unable to work at all. Temporary partial disability benefits are available for those who can work but earn less because of their illness. These benefits help replace lost wages during treatment and recovery.
Permanent Disability Benefits
If the asbestos related condition causes lasting impairment, the worker may qualify for permanent partial disability benefits. These benefits are based on the severity of the disability and are paid according to Georgia’s workers’ compensation schedule.
Limits of Coverage
Workers’ compensation in Georgia does not cover pain and suffering. Benefits are limited to medical costs, wage replacement, and disability compensation. In some cases, a worker may also have a separate claim against an asbestos product manufacturer, but this is outside the workers’ compensation system.
Get Help with Your Asbestos Workers’ Compensation Claim in Georgia!
If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos related disease linked to your job, do not wait to protect your rights. The statute of limitations in Georgia limits the time you have to file a claim. Our team at Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Atlanta understands the medical, legal, and financial challenges asbestos exposure creates for workers and their families.
Contact us at 470-518-5026 for a free claim consultation today!
