Occupational contact dermatitis is, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the most common form of work related skin disease in the UK and probably greatly under reported due to the lack of self-examination training amongst the more potentially exposed members of the workforce . It is a particularly unpleasant disease to contract and can leave affected areas of skin painfully dry, reddened, swollen, flaking, cracked and blistered. It most commonly affects the hands and face which means it can be extremely painful for sufferers to use their hands and can make them very self-conscious about their appearance.
Contact dermatitis at work can be caused by skin contact with irritants such as:
• washing powders
• soaps and detergents
• cleaning products
or allergens including:
• rubber,
• latex (a derivative of rubber)
• certain metals
• perfumes
• textile dyes
• cosmetic products
• certain plants
• solvents
• oils
• cement, dust
• water and soil.
An allergic reaction will produce visible symptoms of dermatitis much more quickly than exposure to irritants and as can be seen from the list above most of the allergens and irritants will be found in workplaces across all sectors in the economy.
The fact that so many employees contract occupation contact dermatitis is mainly due to health and safety failings in two areas:
• Training – a lack of employee awareness about skincare or the nature of the substances they are working with and the causes of contact dermatitis, coupled with an absence of training to enable employees to confidently self-examine exposed skins for symptoms. Failure to educate employees in the correct hand and face washing techniques to remove contaminants.
• Control measures – Failure risk assess and change processes to avoid or minimise skin contact with irritants and allergens. Failure to supply the personal protective equipment and training on how to use it to stop employees’ skin from coming into contact with the skin irritants and allergens used in the workplace.
Any employee who contracts contact dermatitis which can be demonstrated to have been caused by the above health and safety failings might be able to make a work injury compensation claim. This is because their employers have a legal duty of care to look after their health, safety and welfare at work and specifically to adequately control their employees’ exposure to materials that cause ill health, including of course, dermatitis.
Work Dermatitis Compensation Claim? Call our claims experts
Our solicitors specialise in occupational dermatitis compensation claims, so get in touch today for expert advice on how to claim compensation for industrial disease.
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