Compensation Claims For Chemical Burn At Work

In this guide, we’ll look at the process of claiming chemical burn at work compensation. A chemical burn injury can be very painful. Furthermore, an injury of this nature might leave you with a scarred face. This might cause a psychological impact on you that could affect your quality of life in the future.

If you’ve been injured in an accident at work involving chemicals, you may be able to claim. You would need to show that your accident happened because of employer negligence in order to do so.

If you’d like to know more about your eligibility to claim, why not speak to a member of our team today? If your claim is valid, they could connect you with a personal injury solicitor from our panel.

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What Is A Chemical Burn At Work Compensation Claim?
Is Your Employer Liable For A Chemical Burn At Work?
What Are The Symptoms Of A Chemical Burn At Work?
How Do Chemical Burns Happen In The Workplace?
What Do You Do For A Chemical Burn Injury?
Chemical Burn At Work Compensation Claim Amounts
Contact Us About Your No Win No Fee Chemical Burn At Work Compensation Claim
Workplace Injury Claim Resources

What Is A Chemical Burn At Work Compensation Claim?

When it comes to workplaces, your employer has a duty of care to keep all employees and visitors safe. This is outlined in the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 as well as the Workplace (Health, Safety, and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

In order to claim compensation, you need to show that your employer breached the duty of care they owed you. You also need to show that this breach directly led to your injuries.

There are a number of different things your employer is expected to do to ensure your safety while at work. For example, they need to provide you with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They also need to provide you with the training required for you to do your role properly.

If you are wondering about compensation for a chemical burn at work, why not speak with a member of our team today? They can offer you free legal advice about making this kind of personal injury claim.

Is Your Employer Liable For A Chemical Burn At Work?

The Control of Substances Hazard to Health (COSHH) is the legislation that outlines the actions your employer should take to protect you when you work with hazardous substances.

Industries that worked with COSHH-certified substances must undertake a risk assessment. The specifics of the risk assessment will depend on the kind of substances you work with.

Employers can manage the risk of burns from hazardous substances by:

Ensuring that containers are appropriate for the substance being stored
Ensure containers are correctly labelled
Cleaning up spillages in a timely manner
Practising regular maintenance
Ensuring employees are supervised and properly trained

If you were burned by a chemical substance but your employer had done all they could to ensure you were safe, you may not be able to claim. However, you could claim if you can show they were remiss in their duties to ensure your safety.

If you would like to talk about your injury in greater detail, contact our advisors who can connect you to a solicitor from our panel. They can also offer free legal advice relevant to your injury and your claim for chemical burn at work compensation.

What Are The Symptoms Of A Chemical Burn At Work?

According to the NHS, acid and chemical burns can have a wide range of symptoms. These include blistering and scarring. In some cases, the wound might become infected.

In the most severe cases, depending on where the burn has happened, you may experience loss of vision or reduced function in muscles. You might require surgery, such as a skin graft, to reduce the cosmetic impact of the injury.

It’s really important that you seek medical attention for your injuries. Chemical burns can be really damaging, so it’s important that you’re treated as soon as possible.

For more information on whether your employer is liable for the injuries you’ve sustained, why not speak with one of our advisors? They could offer you free legal advice about claiming.

How Do Chemical Burns Happen In The Workplace?

There are a number of different ways that chemical burns in the workplace can occur. While some of these may not be grounds for a claim, other potential scenarios could entitle you to pursue compensation.

Below, we’ve included some of the ways that a chemical burn injury could happen in the workplace as a result of negligence:

Lack of appropriate PPE: Some hazardous substances might require you to have PPE to protect you. For instance, you might need special gloves, shoes (such as steel-toe boots) or goggles to prevent you from being burned. If this isn’t supplied to you, or if you’re given PPE that isn’t fit for purpose, this could cause you to be injured at work.
Failure to train staff: When you’re working with dangerous or hazardous chemicals, you might need additional training to make sure you’re handling the materials in the correct manner. If you’re not trained properly, this could cause you to be injured.
Poor housekeeping: If you have to transport hazardous substances from one place to another, you might be burned as the result of a slip, trip or fall. This could cause a substance to spill over you. If the fall was caused by poor housekeeping (for example, a trailing wire) this could be an example of negligence.

This list is not exhaustive. You might have experienced a chemical burn as a result of employer negligence in another way.

To find out if you could claim chemical burn at work compensation for your injuries, please speak to an advisor today. They’ll be happy to offer you a free valuation of your claim with no obligation to proceed.

What Do You Do For A Chemical Burn Injury?

NHS guidance states that you should call 999 urgently if you’ve sustained a chemical burn. This page also advises that you rinse the affected area with clean water and remove the chemical along with any contaminated clothing.

Once you have administered first aid, always seek medical attention. In the short term, a doctor will use the following approaches:

Administering pain relief
Cleaning the affected area and dressing it
Washing off the substance until it has been completely removed
Giving you a tetanus jab if needed

In some cases, particularly where the burn is more serious, a doctor might refer you to a specialist burn unit. You might need surgery, for example, a skin graft, to help you recover.

If you’d like more information on how much compensation you could be entitled to after a burn injury, get in touch with our team today. An advisor could connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.

Chemical Burn At Work Compensation Claim Amounts

Compensation is generally split up into two distinct categories.

The first is known as general damages. This refers to the physical and psychological impact your injuries have had on you.

Below, we have provided estimated compensation amounts related to chemical burns. These amounts have been based on the Judicial College Guidelines and relate to general damages.

Injury	Nature of Incident	Possible Compensation
Burns	Can range from minor burns to severe burns which affect mobility. Amount of compensation depends on the percentage of body burned and the severity.	Can exceed £98,380 in most serious cases
Disfigurement to the face- Very severe scarring	This type of injury encompasses disfiguring cosmetic burns and scarring.There will be a large psychological element to this injury.	£27,940 - £91,350
Disfigurement to the face- Less severe scarring	Where disfigurement is substantial. Also carries significant psychological reactions.	£16,860 - £45,440
Disfigurement to the face- Significant scarring	Where treatment like plastic surgery can reduce some of the worst effects and where the psychological reaction is not great.	£8,550 - £28,240
Disfigurement to the face- Less significant scarring	Where there's one scar that can be camouflaged, or a number of very small scars that nevertheless do not markedly affect the appearance.	£3,710 - £12,900
Scarring	Can incorporate a single disfiguring scar on the leg(s), arm(s), back or chest. This bracket might also include cases where there are a number of noticeable laceration scars.	£7,350 - £21,330
Scarring	Superficial scarring, or one noticeable scar, in the arm(s), leg(s) or hand(s).	£2,220 - £7,350

The second potential head of your claim is known as special damages. This refers to the monetary losses you may have incurred in the process of making a claim. This can extend to lost wages, payments for travel to and from hospital appointments, or the cost of any therapies or procedures not covered by the NHS.

The purpose of compensation is to restore you to the position you were in before your injury occurred, as much as is possible. To find out if you could be owed any compensation for a chemical burn at work, contact our advisors. They can connect you to a panel of solicitors who can give free legal advice that is specific to your claim for chemical burn at work compensation.

Contact Us About Your No Win No Fee Chemical Burn At Work Compensation Claim

If you are thinking about claiming for your workplace chemical burn, you might want to consider a No Win No Fee agreement. This is formally referred to as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

This type of legal agreement is attractive for those who might be worried about paying legal fees with no guarantee of a successful claim. It means you don’t have to pay them anything up front or while the claim is ongoing.

If your claim is unsuccessful, you would not have to pay your solicitor’s fees. However, if you are successful, you pay a small percentage of your compensation as a fee for success.

If the No Win No Fee agreement sounds like the right option for you, get in touch with our advisors. They can connect you to a solicitor from our panel who can help you claim chemical burn at work compensation.

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