When you are at work, your employer has a duty to ensure that you are safe and protected from any harm as far as is reasonably possible. This includes providing protective personal equipment (PPE) such as gloves, helmets, eye protection and suitable clothing if you are likely to come into contact with any hazardous materials.
If your employer fails to provide protective equipment, and you then suffer an injury or have an allergic reaction as a result of the exposure, you could be eligible to claim compensation for personal injury from your employer. This is just what happened to a client who recently came to see Bartletts expert personal injury solicitors in Wrexham.
The 32-year-old labourer was contracted to work on a building site, where he would come into contact with a specific type of cement. He was not provided with any protective equipment and so his hands and arms were exposed to the cement as he mixed and worked with it.
Without warning, his hands and arms started to get red and itchy, and as the rash progressed it became more pronounced and painful. He went to see his GP, who sent him to the local hospital where he was diagnosed with dermatitis as an allergic reaction to the cement.
The doctor prescribed creams and steroids for his hands and arms to reduce the redness, swelling and irritation from the skin condition. Due to the severity of the allergic reaction he was advised to avoid any future exposure to wet cement, and so had to leave his current job and change the nature of his employment.
When he came to see one of Bartletts specialist personal injury lawyers in Wrexham, he had not been able to work for a few weeks while his hands and arms healed and had been in a lot of pain and discomfort during that time. Our lawyer quickly established that the employer had not provided adequate PPE equipment and then negotiated compensation settlement for personal injuries and loss of earnings with their insurance company.
If you have suffered an accident or injury that wasn’t your fault contact Bartletts Solicitors today
