is my employer liable

[rasputin2007]

for the last six years i have been working directly below high voltage power lines,some of the time up to seventy hours per week,with no protection from buildings etc.i am now finding myself getting checked out for several different things medically,including white blood cells/problems with bones/joints/near blackout occurences/nausea/vision along with other things.i know that being around pylons is not good for you,these lines are high power lines,and must release the maximum E.M.F.s,and i have been getting maximum exposure,should this have been picked up on when risk assessed by my employer/or the local authority/am i being exposed according to employment legislation who if anyone is liable and for what,i am now very worried about my health and want to get the ball rolling to do something about it.thankyou.

[bednobs]

if you have been working in these conditions for six years and your workplace has made you ill, how come it's taken six years? if you know that working in these conditions isn't good for you, why haven't you raised this with your employers before now?

people live under pylons for 24 hours day and don't get ill.

I think you would find it very hard to prove that you werent just ill because of random fate rather than because you worked under the power lines. People get illnesses and there isnt always a reason or a fault somewhere for it.

If you can incontrovertibly prove that working conditions has made you ill then you would be entitled to seek recompense from your employer.

Unfortunately, it is only a theory that power lines can cause illness, (Rather like the theory that mobile phones cause brain cancer), and if it was definately known and proved it was a healh risk, your employer woud have protected you
I can see you are worried about your health, but if i were you i would concentrate on your health and wellbeing for now, rather than who you can sue

[bednobs]

also i meant to say it might be worthwhile actually getting a diagnosis or getting some proof beyond "having tests" before you try and claim compo for being ill

[Info Bank]

Shocking

[rasputin2007]

actually ive put up with it for six years,at least two knowing it may be harmful,but i havent brought it up,ive just got on with it,my doctor did not know me because i had never been to see him,my doctor suggested sending me to an occupational specialist,not me,i am experiencing several things health wise[,serious things that needed attention out of my control,but i did not state anywhere that it was down to pylons,and i havent lost no time of work with it,
nor have i mentioned compensation,ill not thank you for your [lecture boss] "sorry" i mean [answer sir,]

[buildersmate]

I think this won't be easy to prove. You are going to have to provide some evidence that this problem has been caused by this - which probably means expert witnesses.
It is of course true that your employer must devise a safe system of work. But this issue is one that the employer can do nothing about, short of moving premises. I think that he is going to resist admitting this is problem.
I don't believe that it anything to do with the local authority - it is the National Grid that owns these power lines.

[Twenty20]

Your reply to bednobs seems a bit harsh.

You imply in your second post that you are not interested in compensation. If it's your health that really interests you then you need to go back to your doctor. Youve also said that youve put up with this for at least two years knowing it may be harmful. Why? Why put up with something if you think it's making you ill? Have you considered a new job?

Are other workers experiencing the same symptoms? What proof do you have of what is causing yours? These are all perfectly valid questions and not having a go at you.

I would a) get back to the doctor and b) get a new job.

[bednobs]

dont understand what you mean in your reply to me rasputin. You are asking who is "liable" for your ill health. if i had answered "your employer is incontrovertably liable for all your illnesses" what would you have done then? You want to "get the ball rolling" and i can only assume you mean money (benefits or compo) it you meant something different to this, please let me know

Anyway, you are noy helping yourseld at all by stating that you have known for two years that it "may" be harmful but not done anything about it! (why wouldn't you incidentally? i dont understand that either: why not get a risk assessment 2 years ago? Or bring it up with your employers?)
Surely we are all in some way responsible for our own health? If your employer asked you to do something like saw a metal pole while resting it on your leg you would point out to them the inherent dangers in this surely, and do it another way?
You seem to be saying that you have known for two years that working under these pylons might cause you ill health in a much higher magnitude than a cut leg yet you have done nothing about it, not even approached your employer.
I have to wonder whether the EMF's you mention have also fried your brain.


i am sorry you are ill, it must be very frightening for you, but as to who is liable, you could have an illness anyway so no liability on anyone, or at best, if you have proof that EMF have cause your illness then you must surely share some liability with your employer?
If you get a diagnosis, then i think the next thing to do would be to approach a solicitor

[buildersmate]

Rasputin is now following another line of enquiry.
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Science/Questio n567885.html