34:15-31.7 Injury, illness, death caused by certain substances eligible for compensation.
6. Any injury, illness or death of a public safety worker which may be caused by exposure to a known carcinogen, cancer-causing radiation or a radioactive substance, including cancer and damage to reproductive organs, shall be presumed to be compensable under the provisions of R.S.34:15-1 et seq., if the worker demonstrates that he was exposed, due to fire, explosion, spill or other means, to a known carcinogen, cancer-causing radiation or radioactive substances in the course of the worker's employment as a public safety worker and demonstrates that the injury, illness or death has manifested during his or her employment as a public safety worker. This prima facie presumption may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence that the exposure is not linked to the injury, illness or death. The employer of the public safety worker may require the worker to undergo, at the expense of the employer, reasonable testing, evaluation and monitoring of health conditions of the worker which is relevant to determining whether the exposure is linked to the occurrence, but the presumption of compensability shall not be adversely affected by any failure of the employer to require such testing, evaluation or monitoring. The employer shall maintain records regarding any instance in which any public safety worker in its employ was deployed to a facility or location where the presence of one or more substances which are known carcinogens is indicated in documents provided to local fire or police departments pursuant to the requirements of section 7 of P.L.1983, c.315 (C.34:5A-7) and where fire, explosions, spills or other events occurred which could result in exposure to those carcinogens. The records shall include the identity of each deployed public safety worker and each worker shall be provided notice of the records.
L.2019, c.156, s.6.