Lawyers representing a paint sprayer from Leeds who was exposed to harmful chemical during the course of his employment has urged companies using such chemicals to ensure that they strictly follow Health and Safety guidelines.
Workplace injury and disease specialists at Irwin Mitchell are raising awareness of the dangers of working with hazardous chemicals after recently representing, a Paint Sprayer, from Leeds, who was diagnosed with dermatitis.
The Claimant worked as a paint sprayer for over 10 years and he always took the necessary health and safety precautions when working with paints and chemicals regularly used in the industry. He had never suffered from any allergic reactions previously and did not consider that his choice of career would ever expose him to any type of illnesses or disease.
The Claimant began working for a local company in 2004. One of the company’s lines of business involves the making and use of a glass flake coating which is to be used on industrial items of equipment.
The Claimant worked for them for several years without incident until late 2007 when he started to develop sore and irritable patches of skin on his lower legs and arms. Several months passed and the areas became severely inflamed.
The Claimant sought advice from his GP who confirmed a dermatitis and advised him not to return to work with the condition as his working conditions were the likely source for the disease.
Despite raising concerns with his employer following his visit to his GP, his employers were unsympathetic and refused to take action.
Irwin Mitchell issued proceedings on behalf of the Claimant and the Defendant denied exposing the Claimant to harmful substances. However, following expert evidence being obtained, we were able to successfully settle the claim.
The Claimant now hopes that his former employer will ensure that proper Health and Safety precautions are taken whilst individuals are working around such hazardous chemicals to prevent this happening to anyone else.
Nicola Handley, a legal executive at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office who represents the client, said: “The Claimant did not consider that this claim was about securing financial compensation. He was always more concerned about his former employer being held responsible for the disease in order to ensure that other employees were appropriately protected. I hope that this will help other employees to understand their legal rights but also that employers will take note of the likely action which will be taken in the event of their failures.
If you’ve suffered from chemical poisoning due to another person’s negligence, our personal injury claims team could help you to secure compensation. Visit our Chemical Poisoning Compensation Claims page for more information.
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