Heart Attack | Employee Rights

Heart disease is a common medical ailment suffered by hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. According to a 2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey, more than 5.3 million persons visited the emergency room due to chest pain, a common sign of a heart attack.

Although heart disease is commonly linked with an individual’s lifestyle, there are other factors that can cause the issue such as stress and a person’s occupation.

Heart attacks and heart have begun to be recognized by employers as a condition caused by an individual’s workplace environment and thus should be covered under workers’ compensation. Exposure to certain chemicals such as carbon disulfide and carbon monoxide has also been known to adversely affect the heart.

According to the Center for Disease Control other factors might also aid in the development of heart disease and an increased risk of a heart attack such as:

• Exposure to tobacco smoke
• Extreme heat
• Extreme cold
• Exposure to car exhaust fumes

Inconclusive data also supports that occupational noise and shift work could lead to increased blood pressure and a disruption of circadian rhythms which is linked to heart disease well.

If you or a loved one has suffered from a heart attack brought on by their occupation, the victim may be entitled to further workers compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

Fill out the FREE CASE REVIEW form to your right for a no-cost, no-obligation evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim.

Occupations Associated with Heart Attack

A Harvard Medical School study of more than 17,000 women throughout 10 years found that women with more stressful occupations were 88 percent more likely to have a heart attack than their counterparts with less stressful jobs. Furthermore, they were 43 percent more likely to need heart surgery.

Most anyone can agree that their job is stressful, however, there are some occupations that could put their employees at an increased risk of having a heart attack, including:

• Transportation (Pilots, Taxi Drivers, Bus Drivers, Etc.)
• Janitorial Work
• Construction
• Emergency Medical Services
• Law Enforcement

A stressful occupation along with other risk factors could quickly lead to a heart attack while on the job. Furthermore, other factors at work such as workload, pressure from special projects, or difficulties with fellow employees or bosses could also increase the amount of stress an individual feels while at work.

Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack

It is important that an employer and employees recognize the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. Although most people expect to know when a heart attack occurs, the warning signs can appear slowly and some people may ignore them until it is too late.

Some common symptoms of a heart attack include:

• Pressure, fullness, or squeezing pain in the center of the chest pain may come and go
• Pain that extends to other parts of the body such as the arms, back, and neck
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweat
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Indigestion
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Rapid or irregular heartbeats

If you believe that you or a loved one is suffering from a heart attack contact emergency services immediately. If you are at work your employer should be notified after emergency services have been called for help. Workers’ compensation may be available to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

Contact our Phoenix Workers Compensation Attorneys Today

Suffering from a heart attack can be a frightening experience particularly if the situation is the cause of your occupation. At Phillips Law Group we believe that anyone who has suffered from such a situation should be eligible to receive the workers’ compensation they deserve. Do not let your employer or their insurer intimidate you into receiving less than you are entitled to and contact one of our experienced attorneys today.

For years we have been helping workers in the Phoenix area fight for their right to fair and just compensation. We have several offices located throughout Arizona and proudly serve the following areas:

• Phoenix
• Mesa
• Chandler
• Tucson
• Scottsdale

and the surrounding neighborhoods. For a no-cost, no-obligation evaluation of your worker’s compensation claim, call 1-800-706-3000 our offices are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hablamos Espanol!

If you would prefer to contact us online, fill out the FREE CASE REVIEW form located at the top right-hand corner of this page its free to submit and completely confidential.