Chemical Burns and Injuries Claims

Chemical burns

Chemical burn injuries are one of the most common hazards present in industries such as farming, manufacturing, construction, mining, cleaning, and beauty. Many of the products used or produced contain some degree of caustic or corrosive chemicals. These require routine handling during the workday, and poor safety measures can often lead to the mishandling of these chemicals, resulting in potentially devastating workplace injuries.

Chemical burns of any kind can be extremely dangerous, painful, and debilitating, often causing complications and injuries that last for an extended period of time while having a significant impact on your everyday life.

This makes handling chemicals at work a substantial risk, requiring actions involving them to always be accompanied by strict safety protocols. Employers have a responsibility to staff to make their workplace as safe as possible. Accidents do happen, but if you’ve suffered a chemical burn injury that you believe resulted from poor working procedures, inadequate safety equipment, or any other preventable cause, we can help.

However you were injured, our team will let you know if you may be able to make a chemical burn claim, so you can get the compensation you deserve.

What is a chemical burn claim?

Chemical burns can occur immediately upon a hazardous substance coming into contact with any exposed area of the body or after accidental consumption. However, an injury may also take place over a period of prolonged exposure resulting from a leak. Toxic gases, such as those from chemical spillage, are also covered in chemical burns as they cause many of the same injuries.

You can make a chemical burn claim in response to any physical or psychological injury sustained while at work due to the adverse effects of toxic workplace chemicals. Types of chemical injury include:

• Chemical burns
• Poisoning
• Aggravation of serious allergies

The symptoms of chemical burns can vary depending on the substance you’re exposed to. The most commonly associated symptoms associated with chemical burns are as follows:

• Severe irritation or pain
• A persistent burning sensation
• Numbness
• A loss of vision if the substance enters your eyes

Symptoms of chemical poisoning differ slightly but can include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Feeling confused and disorientated
• Prolonged headaches
• Shortness of breath
• An erratic heartbeat

And in severe cases, chemical poisoning can actually lead to organ failure and death.

Is your employer liable for a chemical burn claim?

Your employer has a duty to minimise the risk presented to you by hazardous chemicals in the workplace. If your job requires you to work with dangerous chemicals, then your employer is required by law to take extra safety precautions. This includes:

• Carrying out a full and in-depth risk assessment relating to the use of all hazardous chemicals
• Sufficiently educating you about the dangers of working with the substances you may come into contact with
• Providing you with appropriate safety equipment like gloves, goggles, and protective clothing when handling these chemicals
• Delivering adequate training in the handling of safe chemical storage and the equipment you use to handle them
• Securely locking and restricting access to chemicals in storage
• Ensuring the working environment is well ventilated and displays clean warning signs for chemical usage areas
• Providing readily accessible first-aid facilities and equipment for immediate use as well staff training in initial burn treatment

If your employer has failed to deliver on any of these areas, due to negligence or otherwise, then they may have put you at risk. Therefore, you may be able to claim compensation for a chemical burn or injury.

Claiming compensation for a chemical burn

When making a chemical burn claim, evidence will be required in order to prove your employer was at fault. Our advisors will help you to go through your circumstances in detail to will clarify the situation around your injury, and see whether responsibility can be assigned to another party.

There are two key stages to making any chemical burn claim:

• Firstly, you must prove you have suffered an injury. This will usually be done through medical notes and your employer’s accident record book.
• Next, you must be able to show that your injury could have been avoided had your employer fulfilled their legally obligated duty by taking all reasonable steps to ensure that the workplace was safe. This step can take some time, but your lawyer will gather the necessary evidence about your case to demonstrate this before submitting the request for payment.

A vast majority (over 90%) of personal injury claims are often settled without going to court. We work with expert solicitors with experience in chemical burn claims, who will also do their utmost to achieve this result for you. They will negotiate on your behalf to obtain fair payment for your injury.

To remove any financial risk involved with compensation claims, The Compensation Experts offer a No Win No Fee service* where you will not be liable for any legal costs if your claim is unsuccessful. Contact us today and find out how we can help you get the compensation you deserve.

How much could I claim for a chemical burn?

Damages are awarded based on the nature and extent of your injuries such as the location of your chemical burns, their severity and permanency, your age, gender, and health before the injury. These are in addition to the financial impact that your burn has had since the accident and may have on you in the future.

Expenses that you have incurred as a result of a chemical may also be recovered. This can include medical expenses, therapy such as counselling if you’ve suffered trauma or facial disfigurement, travel expenses and the cost of specialist equipment.

For instance, the injuries you suffer might force you to miss time at work. Subsequently, your claim will include an amount for the wages you have lost, both now and in the future.

It is also possible to claim for the psychological trauma caused by a chemical burn. To be fair, any diagnosis of trauma must be certified by a qualified psychologist. Generally speaking though, the Courts also accept that burn injuries carry a strong psychological component, especially if your appearance has changed.

Other physical injury claims

Accident At Work Claims are a big part of what we do regarding a personal injury at The Compensation Experts. For workplace accident claims, we work with a variety of capable law firms specialising in accidents at work. Here are just some of the areas we can help in if you or anyone else you know has suffered from another physical injury while at work:

• Concussion injury claims
• Factory accident claims
• Hearing loss claims
• Industrial disease claims
• Needlestick injury claims
• Office work injury claims

*conditions may apply