Occupational Illness (Asthma/TB) Claims

If you’ve developed breathing problems like asthma, chronic coughing, or even tuberculosis from work, you deserve answers—and support. These conditions often build up over time, linked to dust, fumes, chemicals, or poor ventilation in the workplace. And when your job has caused or worsened your health, it’s not something you should face alone.

At John O’Leary Solicitors LLP, we’ve spent over 20 years supporting individuals across Tallaght and Dublin who’ve been affected by occupational illnesses. We understand the toll these conditions can take—not just on your health, but on your work, your family life, and your peace of mind.

If you’re concerned about a workplace-related illness, get in touch with us today. You’ll speak directly to a solicitor who will listen, explain your options, and help you take the next step confidently and safely.

Asthma and Tuberculosis as Occupational Illnesses

Occupational illnesses are conditions caused or worsened by your working environment. They’re often slow to develop, easy to miss at first, and unfortunately, all too common. Among the most serious—and overlooked—are respiratory illnesses such as asthma and tuberculosis (TB). These aren’t just health issues. When linked to your job, they’re legal issues too.

At John O’Leary Solicitors LLP, we’ve supported many individuals across Tallaght and Dublin who were exposed to unsafe conditions at work—without protection, without warning, and without fair treatment afterwards. If you’ve developed breathing problems and suspect your job may be the cause, it’s worth knowing your rights.

What's Work-related Asthma?

Occupational asthma occurs when your lungs become sensitised to substances in the workplace—like chemicals, dust, fumes, or cleaning agents. This isn’t just a case of “normal asthma at work.” It’s a specific condition where breathing difficulties are directly caused or worsened by exposure during your job.

Over time, repeated exposure can inflame the airways, leading to permanent damage. And in many cases, workers aren’t warned about the risks or offered proper training or protective equipment. Symptoms may come and go at first—tightness in the chest, coughing, shortness of breath—but they can become long-lasting and disabling if ignored.

What's Work-acquired TB?

Tuberculosis is a serious infectious disease that spreads through the air, especially in enclosed or poorly ventilated environments. In Ireland, it still appears in healthcare settings, prisons, direct provision centres, and social care environments. Workers in these settings may be exposed through close contact with patients, residents, or service users—often without knowing someone was infected.

TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While treatable, it’s a slow-moving illness that can become life-altering if not caught early. Some of our clients were never warned they’d been exposed until after their diagnosis. Others weren’t offered testing, despite known outbreaks at their workplace.

Why This Matters Legally

If your employer failed to protect you—by ignoring proper controls, not issuing PPE, or failing to act on risks—they may be held legally responsible. Irish law puts the onus on employers to safeguard workers from foreseeable harm. When they don’t, and you get sick because of it, you may be entitled to bring a claim.

It’s not about blame. It’s about fairness, accountability, and making sure you get the support you need to recover.

If you’ve been diagnosed with asthma or TB and believe your work may be the cause, contact us. We’re here to listen and help you find out where you stand.

Where These Illnesses Happen

Asthma and tuberculosis are not just medical conditions—they’re occupational illnesses when caused or worsened by your working environment. Across Dublin and Tallaght, we’ve seen workers from all walks of life develop serious breathing problems simply because the risks at work were ignored.

If you’ve spent years breathing in dust, fumes, chemicals, or sharing enclosed spaces without proper ventilation or protection, you may already be affected. Here’s where these illnesses are most commonly linked to the job.

Jobs That Put Workers at Risk of Occupational Asthma

Work-related asthma is often caused by inhaling airborne substances that irritate or sensitise the lungs. Common culprits include flour dust, isocyanates (from paints or glues), cleaning agents, solvents, and other fine particles. The risk is highest in roles involving regular exposure to these substances:

  • Cleaning and janitorial work: Staff using sprays, bleach, floor polish, and disinfectants without proper ventilation or masks
  • Construction trades: Carpenters, plasterers, and painters dealing with wood dust, cement, silica, and solvent-based products
  • Factory and food production workers: Exposure to flour, flavouring agents, spices, preservatives, or powder-based substances
  • Vehicle repair technicians and sprayers: Constant use of isocyanate-based paints and adhesives in workshops
  • Healthcare roles: Nurses or hospital cleaners exposed to latex gloves or sterilising chemicals

In many of these settings, employees are not warned about the risk to their lungs—or trained in how to protect them properly.

Jobs Where Work-Acquired Tuberculosis Occurs

While TB is less common than asthma, it still arises in specific high-risk sectors. It spreads through droplets in the air, making enclosed, poorly ventilated workplaces especially dangerous—especially where employers fail to identify or isolate infectious individuals.

Jobs we’ve seen linked to TB exposure include:

  • Hospital workers: Particularly in emergency departments, wards, and respiratory units, where staff may be exposed to undiagnosed TB patients
  • Care home and nursing home staff: Prolonged close contact with elderly or immunocompromised residents
  • Community healthcare workers: Including home help, outreach nurses, and public health staff
  • Prison officers and detention centre workers: Working in confined spaces with high-risk populations
  • Social workers and support staff: Especially in shelters, group homes, or asylum services

The risk isn’t just about presence—it’s about prolonged exposure in places where early signs are missed, and safety measures are lacking.

Symptoms, Diagnosis, and What to Watch For

Asthma and tuberculosis caused by workplace exposure don’t always present in dramatic ways. Often, the signs come on gradually. Many people dismiss them as stress, a cold, or just a rough season. But left untreated, both conditions can become serious—even life-altering.

If you’ve been working in an environment with dust, fumes, chemicals, or close contact with others, it’s important to know what to look out for.

Asthma Symptoms That May Be Work-related

Asthma caused or worsened by your job is often overlooked—especially when symptoms aren’t constant. If any of the following happen more at work and improve when you’re away from the job (such as weekends or holidays), it’s worth raising with your GP:

  • Tightness in the chest, especially during or after physical work
  • Wheezing or whistling when breathing
  • Coughing that lingers or flares up on certain jobs or in specific areas
  • Breathlessness or shortness of breath, even when doing light activity
  • Symptoms that get worse in cold or dusty environments
  • Needing an inhaler when you didn’t before—or more often than usual

These symptoms often start subtly but can progress if exposure continues. Some workers don’t connect the dots until they’re forced to take time off or end up in A&E.

Work-related Symptoms of Tuberculosis

TB is a slow-moving infection that can go unnoticed for weeks or months. You might think it’s a stubborn chest infection or fatigue from long shifts. But in the right setting, it could be something more serious.

Watch for:

  • A persistent cough lasting more than 3 weeks
  • Fever, chills, or night sweats
  • Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
  • Tiredness that doesn’t ease with rest
  • Breathlessness or chest pain

These signs can also develop gradually, particularly in healthcare, residential care, or prison settings where repeated low-level exposure is possible.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms—and think your job may be linked—don’t delay. Talk to your doctor. Tell them about your work. Then speak with a solicitor who can help you understand your rights and what steps to take next.

How These Conditions Affect Your Life and Livelihood

When your ability to breathe becomes unpredictable, so does everything else. Occupational illnesses like asthma and tuberculosis don’t just bring physical symptoms—they change how you live, how you work, and how others treat you. Many of our clients in Tallaght and across Dublin describe a steady decline in confidence, independence, and security once these conditions take hold.

Interruptions to Work and Income

Breathing conditions are often invisible until they become unavoidable. You may begin missing occasional days due to flare-ups, fatigue, or GP appointments. Over time, this can lead to:

  • Reduced working hours or forced change of duties
  • Longer absences for testing, treatment, or recovery
  • Being passed over for opportunities or shifts
  • Pay cuts or difficulty meeting attendance targets

In TB cases, mandatory time off to avoid spreading infection can last weeks or months—leaving many workers suddenly without income, and sometimes without job protection.

Long-Term Limitations on Employment

Asthma and TB can limit what kind of work you’re able to do in future. If your job involves chemicals, dust, or enclosed spaces, a return to full duties may not be possible. You may:

  • Be medically restricted from returning to the same role
  • Require lifelong medication, devices, or lifestyle changes
  • Be considered “high-risk” for roles involving public contact
  • Need to retrain entirely if your trade becomes too dangerous for your health

These changes don’t just affect your earnings—they impact your career path, your routine, and your identity.

Personal and Family Consequences

Outside of work, the effects continue. Clients have told us about:

  • Feeling exhausted from basic tasks like shopping or walking
  • Avoiding cold weather or physical activity altogether
  • Being unable to play with children or grandchildren
  • Feeling isolated during TB treatment or post-recovery
  • Anxiety in public or shared spaces due to respiratory risk

The emotional toll is real. These conditions can make you feel cut off from your workmates, your family, and the life you had before. And if your illness came from a workplace that failed to protect you—that sense of injustice can weigh heavily.

But support is available. And so are your rights.

What Your Employer Should Have Done—But Didn’t

Irish employers have a legal duty to protect employees from harm—including the risk of developing serious illnesses due to unsafe working conditions. When it comes to respiratory illnesses like asthma and tuberculosis, that means more than just handing out a mask. It means anticipating risks, preventing exposure, and taking early complaints seriously.

Too often, this doesn’t happen.

For Occupational Asthma

Asthma caused or aggravated by workplace exposure is preventable. Your employer should have:

  • Carried out a full risk assessment to identify harmful airborne substances (dust, fumes, vapours, etc.)
  • Used safer alternatives to hazardous products where possible
  • Installed proper ventilation or extraction systems in work areas
  • Provided appropriate PPE, such as respirators, fitted masks, or gloves
  • Trained workers on the risks and early symptoms of occupational asthma
  • Monitored employee health and responded promptly to early warning signs
  • Recorded complaints and adjusted work duties as needed

In many of the cases we’ve handled, workers were exposed daily to chemical sprays, fine powders, or welding fumes—without even a basic warning about the risks involved.

For Work-Acquired Tuberculosis

TB risk exists where workers are in regular close contact with others, especially in enclosed or poorly ventilated settings. Employers should have:

  • Identified TB exposure risk in healthcare, residential care, and detention settings
  • Trained staff on signs, symptoms, and proper protocols
  • Provided protective barriers or isolation where necessary
  • Screened workers in high-risk environments
  • Acted immediately when exposure was reported or suspected
  • Maintained infection control procedures, especially during outbreaks

In some workplaces, clients weren’t told they’d been exposed until weeks after symptoms began—by which point others had also been put at risk.

Failing to Act Is Failing in Duty

Your employer doesn’t need to have acted with malice to be held responsible. Negligence often looks like inaction: no ventilation, no response to complaints, no safety checks. But in the eyes of the law, failing to prevent a foreseeable risk is enough.

If your employer failed to take these steps and you developed a respiratory illness as a result, they may be liable—and you may have a right to claim.

Who Can Bring a Claim and When to Act

If you’ve developed asthma or tuberculosis and believe your job played a role, you may be wondering if it’s too late to act—or if you’re even eligible to make a claim. The truth is, many people wait too long to ask the question. Don’t assume you’re out of options.

You Don’t Have to Be in the Same Job

You can bring a claim even if:

  • You no longer work for the employer in question
  • You’ve changed roles or retired
  • Your symptoms only became clear long after exposure
  • You worked in a temporary, part-time, or agency position

Occupational illnesses like asthma and TB often develop over time. In many cases, workers only connect the dots after they’ve changed jobs or spoken with a doctor. You do not need to be currently employed in the same setting to seek redress.

You Don’t Need All the Answers Up Front

You don’t need a confirmed diagnosis to begin exploring your rights. You don’t need to know exactly which shift, product, or person caused the illness. If your job involved prolonged exposure to dust, fumes, chemicals, or high-risk environments—and you’ve developed serious respiratory symptoms—it’s worth seeking advice.

We can help you piece together your work history, medical evidence, and any known exposure records to establish a case. In some situations, more than one employer may share responsibility if you were exposed across different jobs.

What to Do If You Think Work Made You Ill

If you’re living with asthma, a persistent cough, or a recent diagnosis of tuberculosis—and your job involved exposure to dust, fumes, chemicals, or infectious settings—there are steps you can take right now to protect your health and your rights.

You don’t have to be certain your illness is work-related to begin the process. You just need to start asking the right questions.

1. Talk to Your GP

Your first step should always be medical. Be clear with your doctor about your symptoms, when they started, and the type of work you’ve done. Ask directly whether your condition could be work-related. If you’re experiencing symptoms like wheezing, breathlessness, or a persistent cough, request a referral to a respiratory specialist or TB clinic if needed.

2. Keep a Record

Start a simple diary of your symptoms. Note when they appear, how long they last, and whether they worsen at work or improve when you’re off. Include any absences, medications, or flare-ups that interfere with daily life. This timeline may help support your case later.

3. Inform Your Employer (If Safe to Do So)

If you’re still working, report your concerns in writing. Keep a copy for yourself. Mention any exposure to dust, chemicals, or close contact with potentially infected individuals. If you’re no longer in the role, try to write down your work duties, any known incidents, and the timeline of your symptoms.

4. Speak to a Solicitor

A solicitor experienced in occupational illness claims can help review your situation and guide you through the next steps. It’s about protecting your future, understanding what went wrong, and getting the support you’re entitled to.

Legal Time Limits for Occupational Illness Claims in Ireland

In Ireland, you generally have two years to bring an occupational illness claim—but that time doesn’t always start from the date you were exposed. For conditions like asthma or tuberculosis, which develop gradually, the clock usually starts from the “date of knowledge”—when you first realised your illness might be work-related.

That’s why it’s important to act early. Even if you’re unsure when symptoms began or who’s responsible, speaking to a solicitor now can protect your ability to claim later. Waiting too long could close the door on justice, even when the case is strong.

Speak to a Solicitor Who Understands Workplace Illness and Worker Rights

If your job has left you with breathing problems or a diagnosis you never expected, talk to John O’Leary Solicitors LLP today. We’ll listen, explain your rights, and help you take action. You’ll speak directly with a solicitor who truly understands your situation.