CaliforniaChick
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
Im in CA...
Its gonna be a bit long....bear with me...
I work in a production bakery for a local grocery store chain. They prepare all the goods the bakery bakes "fresh" in the store. I work in a room where they decorate cakes. One day we were working, and our maintenance staff came in to drill a hole in the cement for a drain, for the new sink they were installing. This created dust and a bad odor in the air. Other co-workers were complaining of feeling sick to their stomach, as was I. We were subjected to this for about 45 - 60 mins. I began to cough and have trouble breathing. (I do have asthma, but when I was diagnosed with it, it was borderline asthma. Diagnosed 4 years ago, put on a daily inhaler one year ago for preventative measures) i took my inhaler, no relief. I began coughing for nearly 2 hours straight before it subsided. I didnt go to work the next day, but the following day I did. I worked 4 hours and couldnt take it anymore, I had the worst tightness I ever felt. I went to the ER and was treated, the doc said I most likely had an asthma attack then and the other day. (Never had one until that day)
Fast forward a week....today. I saw the doctor today. After talking with the doc, she is referring me to a toxicologist because I am being exposed to something there that is flaring up my asthma. She doesnt know if its flour or something else. She wrote me a note today saying that I cannot work in an environment with a lot of dust or particulate matter in the air. Since my work doesnt have anywhere else for me to go in that building, Im off. We all thought that this was an issue just from the maintenance staff. We are now thinking that was the final straw, I have issues every time Ive tried to go back to work resulting in a trip to the ER for a breathing treatment.
Im already running into the problem where the Workers Comp adjuster told me that they may deny my claim due to a pre-existing medical condition, Asthma. Ive NEVER had a problem with my Asthma, and Im sure I can fight that. But can they really deny me even though Ive been diagnosed, but its always been under control the entire time and never having an asthma attack? And my work told me today that I may no longer have a job. Can they just let me go? My thinking is, why are they jumping the gun so quick? They dont even know what is wrong. When I said the doctor thinks something there could be flaring up my asthma it's just that, a thought! Also, this company has 300+ stores, cant I relocate to an actual grocery store and take me out of this factory setting? There's so many things running through my mind, and I dont know whats right. Im supposed to find out tomorrow if I lose my job or not, is this soemthing they can do? (I get the whole if youre allergic to something, you cant work there, but seeing that working there created this allergy, transfering out of that environment will solve it)This is one of those tricky situations, I could really use some advice.
Thanks.
Im in CA...
Its gonna be a bit long....bear with me...
I work in a production bakery for a local grocery store chain. They prepare all the goods the bakery bakes "fresh" in the store. I work in a room where they decorate cakes. One day we were working, and our maintenance staff came in to drill a hole in the cement for a drain, for the new sink they were installing. This created dust and a bad odor in the air. Other co-workers were complaining of feeling sick to their stomach, as was I. We were subjected to this for about 45 - 60 mins. I began to cough and have trouble breathing. (I do have asthma, but when I was diagnosed with it, it was borderline asthma. Diagnosed 4 years ago, put on a daily inhaler one year ago for preventative measures) i took my inhaler, no relief. I began coughing for nearly 2 hours straight before it subsided. I didnt go to work the next day, but the following day I did. I worked 4 hours and couldnt take it anymore, I had the worst tightness I ever felt. I went to the ER and was treated, the doc said I most likely had an asthma attack then and the other day. (Never had one until that day)
Fast forward a week....today. I saw the doctor today. After talking with the doc, she is referring me to a toxicologist because I am being exposed to something there that is flaring up my asthma. She doesnt know if its flour or something else. She wrote me a note today saying that I cannot work in an environment with a lot of dust or particulate matter in the air. Since my work doesnt have anywhere else for me to go in that building, Im off. We all thought that this was an issue just from the maintenance staff. We are now thinking that was the final straw, I have issues every time Ive tried to go back to work resulting in a trip to the ER for a breathing treatment.
Im already running into the problem where the Workers Comp adjuster told me that they may deny my claim due to a pre-existing medical condition, Asthma. Ive NEVER had a problem with my Asthma, and Im sure I can fight that. But can they really deny me even though Ive been diagnosed, but its always been under control the entire time and never having an asthma attack? And my work told me today that I may no longer have a job. Can they just let me go? My thinking is, why are they jumping the gun so quick? They dont even know what is wrong. When I said the doctor thinks something there could be flaring up my asthma it's just that, a thought! Also, this company has 300+ stores, cant I relocate to an actual grocery store and take me out of this factory setting? There's so many things running through my mind, and I dont know whats right. Im supposed to find out tomorrow if I lose my job or not, is this soemthing they can do? (I get the whole if youre allergic to something, you cant work there, but seeing that working there created this allergy, transfering out of that environment will solve it)This is one of those tricky situations, I could really use some advice.
Thanks.
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