Chemical injury
What is Chemical Injury?
Chemical injuries result from exposure to hazardous chemicals at work or in public places. Chemicals can cause debilitating illnesses such as cancer, rapid or irregular heart beat, headaches, confusion, unconsciousness, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fevers, coma, seizures, reduced coordination, constipation, vomiting, abdominal pain, damage to the reproductive system, damage to the immune system, brain damage and in extreme cases death.
If you or your loved one has suffered chemical injury at work or in a public place, you may be entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation.
There are many hazardous chemicals, with thousands of new ones being introduced every year. Long term exposure to these substances can cause chemical poisoning. It may take some time before you start experiencing pain because it takes a while to reach a level where chemical poisoning starts causing problems.
Common hazardous chemicals include the following:
- Benzene: Persons more at risk of benzene exposure are those who work in industries or places where high benzene levels are found, for example, people who work around burning coal, motor vehicle exhausts and industrial solvents.
- Lead: People exposed to lead at work are at risk of developing lead toxic poisoning illness. Lead is known to be common in: paint, drinking water, food, ceramics, hairdryers and cosmetics.
- Beryllium: People exposed to beryllium for many years on a regular basis are most at risk of suffering chemical injuries. Beryllium is known to be common around coal fired power plants. Its effects include: shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, weight loss and fevers in extreme cases it can cause cancer.
- Chemical Mixtures: People exposed to toxic interactions in oil refineries, laboratories or chemical industries are at risk of developing chemical poisoning illness.
- Copper: Inhaling copper dust or fumes on a regular basis for a long period can cause changes in the lungs resulting in shortness of breath.
- Diesel: Exposure to diesel on a long term basis can increase respiratory inflammation, cause lung disease, and brain impairment.
- Hydrogen Sulfide: This is a highly toxic and flammable gas produced as a by-product of oil refineries and other industries. Exposure to hydrogen sulphide for a long time can cause chemical injury.
- Pesticides: Exposure to pesticides on a long term basis increases the risk of cancer, auto immune disease and brain damage.
How does the health and safety law protect you?
A claim for personal injury compensation can be made against current and previous employers for causing chemical injury if the chemical poisoning was sustained at work.
The health and safety law requires employers to:
- Take steps to diminish the risk of chemical injury
- Carry out risk assessment to establish ways of controlling the risk to their workers of suffering from chemical injury
- Act to control the release of the chemical or fumes of the chemical
- Provide respiratory equipment to employments who are exposed to hazardous gases
- Ensure that the respiratory equipment supplied to employees are available all the time.
- Monitor the exposure to hazardous chemicals
- Carry out thorough examinations and tests of engineering controls at specified intervals
- Heed complaints made by employees about the risks of chemical injury.
If you have suffered chemical injury due to your work, give us a call on 0800 321 3287 for free advice. You may be entitled to make a personal injury claim for compensation.