Construction sites are filled with dangers like heavy machinery, unstable scaffolding, and electrical hazards. However, some of the most serious threats are the ones that cannot be seen. Every day, workers inhale dust and fibers that can silently damage their lungs over time.
Two of the biggest culprits are silica and asbestos. These materials can lead to devastating, long-term illnesses that may not appear until years after exposure. These are a few types of construction injuries that may go unnoticed but still leave employees and their families seeking answers.
What Is Silica?
Silica is a mineral found in materials like concrete, brick, and stone. In short, you can almost certainly find it on any construction site. When these materials are cut, drilled, or ground down, they release respirable crystalline silica. These are microscopic dust particles that can lodge deep in the lungs.
Workers using saws, grinders, or jackhammers are at the highest risk. Because the dust is so fine, you might not even realize you are breathing it in until the damage is already done.
Inhaling silica dust can lead to a lung disease called silicosis. This causes scarring which makes it difficult to breathe. Unfortunately, there’s no cure; only symptom management is available. Silica exposure is also linked to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and kidney disease.
Symptoms may not appear for years. That means workers often do not connect their health problems to past exposure.
What Are Employers Required to Do?
To protect workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created strict limits on silica exposure. Employers are legally required to:
- Use water or ventilation systems to keep dust levels down.
- Provide respirators when dust cannot be controlled.
- Offer medical exams and training to employees who are regularly exposed to hazardous materials.
- Develop a written exposure control plan outlining specific safety procedures.
Unfortunately, not every contractor follows the rules. When companies cut corners, workers pay the price with their health.
What to Know About Asbestos
While silica exposure happens on modern job sites, asbestos lurks in older buildings. It was once widely used for insulation, flooring, roofing, and fireproofing. Even decades after being banned from most new construction, asbestos remains a serious danger during renovations and demolitions.
When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, they release needle-like fibers into the air. Once inhaled, those fibers can become permanently embedded in the lungs and surrounding tissues. Over time, they can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.
One of the difficult parts about asbestos-related cancer or illness is its latency period. It can take 20, 30, or 50 years for symptoms to appear. By the time a person experiences chest pain, shortness of breath, or fatigue, the disease may already be advanced.
Toxic Exposure on Construction Sites
Whether it’s silica, asbestos, or other hazardous materials, workers have a right to a safe job site. When employers or property owners fail to control exposure, they may be held legally accountable.
Depending on the situation, you might have one or more potential claims:
- Workers’ compensation for medical bills and lost wages.
- Third-party liability claims against negligent contractors, manufacturers, or property owners.
- Asbestos trust fund claims can be made if the responsible company has gone bankrupt, but funds were set aside for victims.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey both have statutes of limitations that restrict how long you have to file a claim. But with a toxic exposure case, the clock often starts when you discover your illness, not when the exposure happened.
What to Do If You Think You Were Exposed
If you suspect you have been exposed to silica or asbestos on the job, you need to act right away:
- Seek medical attention and document your symptoms.
- Notify your employer and request written records of any exposure testing or control plans.
- Contact an experienced attorney who handles construction and toxic exposure claims.
Asbestos and mesothelioma cases throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey can get complicated fast. You will want to have legal guidance to proceed with this process.
Protecting the Workers Who Build Our Cities
The men and women who build our homes, bridges, and schools should not have to risk their lives to earn a paycheck. Silica and asbestos may be invisible threats, and all precautions should be made to prevent exposure.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with silicosis, mesothelioma, or another illness linked to toxic exposure on a construction site, reach out to the construction injury team at Laffey, Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan.