More Information on Dermatitis and Skin Diseases
The concept of the industrial or workplace ‘Hazard’ is usually exemplified in a certain generation’s minds by the standard ‘orange and black’ hazard symbols. But is this an image which is being lost? Of course, whilst the majority of workplace accidents in our ‘service industry’ economy will in fact be caused by manual handling, faulty machinery, slippery surfaces or falling from height, there are still many workplace injuries that are caused by exposure to hazardous substances.
HSE estimates place the number of workers suffering from a skin disease related to their place of work at over 30,000, a timely reminder that exposure to hazardous substances can cause personal injury at work, occasionally with life-changing results.
Another pre-conception is that most people imagine only those working in chemical industry are those at risk to skin diseases and injuries, which is not at all the case – caterers, cleaners, hairdressers, beauticians, health workers, dentists and farmers and painters are all at-risk of developing occupational dermatitis as a result of working with hazardous substances, as well as the slightly more often thought of engineers and construction workers.
You should make sure that, if you are (or could potentially be) handling any chemical or biological agents, your employer provides you with personal protective equipment to protect your skin from agents that could not only cause severe dermatitis, but – in a worse case scenario – kidney or liver failure, or even cancer.
The steps that can be taken to prevent contact with harmful substances can be cheap and simple. Comparing this with the long-term implications of recurring dermatitis, lifetime sensitisation or organ damage, it is astonishing that employers can fall foul of the relevant Health and Safety Law, which can be found in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.
Occupational Skin Disease Case Study
Miss Stevenson received £5,100 compensation when she was exposed to chemicals from a ‘toxic sofa’ at work.
The so-called ‘Toxic Sofa’ Litigation has been well publicised. Miss Stevenson was handling furniture all day in her workplace, moving it around the storeroom. Sachets of a fungicide called DMF had been stored inside the sofas in China, to stop the sofas going mouldy in Asian warehouses. However, once the conditions became hot, the fungicide changed to a gas and seeped out of the sofa.
Miss Stevenson’s employers had a non-delegable duty of care to provide a safe place and system of work. Even though they had not manufactured the goods themselves, they were in contravention of this.
Due to handling the sofas, Miss Stevenson suffered from severe dermatitis on her hands and arms, which appeared like burning to the skin. Once she explained to her treating doctor that she worked in an environment where she would be moving sofas round some of the day, he advised her that the sofas were probably the cause of her skin complaints
As a result of the exposure to this chemical, Miss Stevenson was unable to work for three months, and incurred a loss of earnings as well as medical expenses. Miss Stevenson subsequently decided to bring a claim and contacted Bartletts Solicitors who dealt with her claim at no cost to her.
Within 12 months, Miss Stevenson’s claim has settled and she had received her cheque for £5,100.
More Information on Dermatitis and Skin Diseases
