Chemical injury compensation claims

What is a chemical injury?

A chemical injury is usually caused when an irritant comes into contact with the skin or the eyes. This can cause chemical burns, conditions such as dermatitis, or eye injuries with long term effects such as partial or complete loss of sight.

If chemicals are swallowed, then this can cause internal injuries with serious or potentially fatal consequences.

Chemical injuries are not always obvious, and sometimes it may be a while before you see any symptoms. This means that your treatment may be delayed, which can make the effects more severe and can cause a longer recovery time.

The severity of a chemical injury can vary from person to person, as people react in different ways to chemicals.

If you've been injured due to someone else's negligence, then you could claim compensation to cover the impact your injury has had on your life and your family. Call us for free today on  or fill in our secure online form and we'll call you back. We're here to help, answering any questions and offering free, independent and impartial advice.

What substances can cause a chemical burn?

The range of substances that can cause a minor chemical burn in particular is very wide. Factories and chemical plants aren't the only places where you could be at risk. Hairdressers, cleaners, agricultural workers, painters, car mechanics and millions of other workers are at risk of chemical injuries in the workplace.

The types of substance that can cause a minor chemical burn or something more serious include acid, alkaline and caustic chemicals. Here are some of the chemical compounds that can be harmful, and examples of where you might find them:

Ammonia. Mostly used in fertiliser production, where it's capable of causing severe burns. Also found in cleaners and detergents, often in a diluted form. Concentrated ammonia products include some industrial cleaners. 

Sulphuric acid. Cleaning fluids, car battery fluid and water treatment products. Also used in fertiliser manufacturing processes.  

Hydrofluoric acid. Cleaning products, herbicides, pesticides, refrigerants and rust removers.

Hydrochloric acid. Cleaners, dye manufacturing, metal refining, pharmaceuticals and water treatment. 

Phosphoric acid. Common in detergents, disinfectants and rustproofing products, and used in the sugar and textile industries.

Sodium hydroxide. A corrosive product widely used in manufacturing processes and to make common products such as drain cleaners and oven cleaners. 

A minor chemical burn can be caused by exposure to products that we wouldn't normally think of as chemicals. Examples include cleaners, paint, adhesives, fillers, beauty treatment products and so on. In such cases, chemical burn at work compensation could play a part in your recovery.

What are the causes and symptoms of a chemical inhalation injury?

Chemical injuries don't always involve direct contact with the skin. For example, a chemical inhalation injury is also a frequent result of working with all kinds of substances. 

Unfortunately, some employers fail to provide their staff with adequate training in how to avoid chemical inhalation injuries, or suitable masks or other RPE (respiratory protective equipment). Also, you may be exposed to substances outside of work because someone has not taken the proper care in controlling their usage.

Symptoms of a chemical inhalation injury include dizziness, nausea, a high temperature, shortness of breath, a sore throat, coughing, confusion and a headache. These often clear up fast but can persist if the inhalation was considerable or happens over time.

A serious chemical inhalation injury can be long-term in nature. It can for example take a long time for a person to develop lung disease after exposure to whatever caused it. 

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that 12,000 lung disease deaths each year are linked to ‘past exposure at work'. Many more people will experience a medical condition or symptoms but will not die from their exposure. 

If you are one of the thousands of people who have experienced a chemical inhalation injury, please call us free on . A member of our legally trained team will listen to what you've been through and let you know whether you could make a compensation claim.

If you are one of the thousands of people who have experienced a chemical inhalation injury, please call us free on or request a call back. A member of our legally trained team will listen to what you've been through and let you know whether you could make a compensation claim.

What is classified as chemical poisoning?

Swallowing chemicals is another potential risk. This can cause internal injuries with serious or potentially fatal consequences. Symptoms in addition to pain can include difficulty breathing, and even a seizure or heart attack in the most severe cases.

Chemical poisoning doesn't just apply to swallowing a chemical. It's a broad term that can also include claiming for the effects of vapours, dust and fumes from hazardous substances, including gases. Claiming chemical poisoning compensation can also potentially include exposure to asbestos and making an asbestos compensation claim. 

Why make a chemical injury claim?

A chemical burn or other injury can be extremely painful, as we know from helping people who have experienced one. It can sometimes have life-changing consequences such as disability or disfigurement. And even if your chemical injury isn't that serious, it could stop you from enjoying your normal everyday life.

Making a claim for chemical injury compensation, or an inhalation or chemical poisoning claim, is a way to make things right. Compensation for what happened could cover the costs of your injury. This might include any time off work. It can also help cover other costs that your injury may have caused you, including prescriptions and other treatment.

Can I claim for chemical injury compensation?

There's every chance that you can claim compensation if exposure to a harmful substance has caused you an injury. The injury will also need to have been wholly or partially someone else's fault. As an example, you might feel that your own mistake caused a chemical spill that hurt you, but you could still claim if your employer didn't provide the right safety equipment. 

You may be trying to decide whether your injury justifies making a claim - and that's where we can help. A quick call to our friendly, legally trained advisors on or request a call back willbring you more information and help clarify whether you can claim.

We'll listen to what happened and ask a few questions about your injury. We can then let you know if you may be eligible to make a claim. If you want to go ahead, we'll put you in contact with one of our expert solicitors.

And remember - your call is free and confidential, with no obligation to make a claim. You're in control of every decision, each step of the way.

Did your chemical injury happen at work?

If your chemical injury happened at work, it's not unusual. The reason that chemical injury claims are so often work-related is explained in an article by webmd.com: 

“Although injuries do happen at home, the risk of sustaining a chemical burn is much greater in the workplace, especially in businesses and manufacturing plants that use large quantities of chemicals.”

Another factor is that many of the chemicals widely used in industrial environments are more likely to have harmful side effects than those used in the home. It all adds up to the workplace being the place where you are most likely to have a chemical injury. 

Injuries at work are of course more likely if companies don't follow the correct safety regulations. Your employer has a duty of care to keep you safe from dangerous substances while you're at work. If they've failed to follow safety regulations, they've put you at risk and you have every right to make a claim.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) provide guidance to employers on managing all types of dangerous substances in the workplace. Companies should follow the COSHH regulations to minimise their employees' risk from the causes of chemical accidents.

The regulations include the following requirements for employers:

• Carrying out risk assessments. Employers should not only complete risk assessments, but should also put in place measures to minimise the risk of accidents and injury.
  
• Providing staff training. All too often, workers handle chemicals before having the chance to attend adequate training.
  
• Providing PPE to protect against injuries. PPE (personal protective equipment) should be in good condition and suitable for the chemicals. This includes gloves, gauntlets, aprons, goggles and RPE (respiratory protective equipment).
  
• Safely storing chemicals, including during transportation. Spilling badly stored substances is one cause of chemical accidents in the workplace.
  
• Regular cleaning. Regular cleaning may be necessary to minimise the risk of employees touching split chemicals.
  

When your employer gives you potentially harmful products to use, they must have clear labels. These should include instructions and relevant warning symbols, such as the international hazard pictograms. You should also have easy access to a material safety data sheet (MSDS) for any hazardous product you use.

Do you believe that your employer has failed to uphold their duty of care? And that as a result you have experienced chemical inhalation, poisoning or a chemical burn at work? Compensation may help to put things right, so why not find out whether you are eligible to claim? Get in touch with our friendly team on or request a call back to find out if you have a claim today.

How much compensation could I receive?

Chemical injuries vary greatly in severity, so the compensation levels for chemical injury claims vary just as much. How much compensation you get will depend on things like the severity of the injury, how long you feel the effects for, and the extent of someone else's negligence. 

Letting a solicitor investigate what has happened is the best way to find out what chemical injury claims may be worth. We can start that for you by connecting you with a solicitor with the right experience and specialism for your claim.

If your claim goes through, you could receive compensation in one or both of these categories:

• General damages cover pain, suffering and ‘loss of amenity', which means the everyday things you can't do because of your injury.   
• Special damages are the financial losses you experience as a direct result of your injury. These might include loss of earnings, changes to your ability to work, and treatment and prescription costs. 

Until your solicitor has started negotiating on your behalf, they won't be able to give you an exact figure of the chemical injury compensation you could be entitled to. With years_since years' of experience, our chemical injury compensation calculator can give you an estimate of the amount you could receive.

How do I pay for my chemical injury claim?

You do this with a no win no fee arrangement, also known as a conditional fee agreement. It's the contract between you and your no win no fee personal injury lawyer. 

There are no upfront costs or hidden charges but if you win the claim, you'll be asked to pay any costs and expenses, not paid for by the other side, out of your compensation. This is likely to happen in most cases, as the other side is only required to make a contribution to your legal fees.

These costs will only be deducted when your compensation is paid, and may include: 

• A ‘success fee' which compensates the solicitor for the risk they take, as if your claim is unsuccessful they won't be paid at all.
• Any other legal costs or expenses not recovered from the other side, such as the costs of any legal expense insurance.

Unlike many solicitors we provide you with complete certainty and protection on legal costs. We guarantee that any deduction made from the compensation is capped at a level agreed by you, so whatever happens with your claim, there are no nasty surprises.

You can feel confident that your solicitor will agree how much you will pay which will only ever be deducted and taken from your compensation amount should you win your case.

Your solicitor will discuss this with you at the start, so you'll know what to expect when your claim settles. If you don't win your no win no fee claim, you pay nothing to anyone. It's as simple as that.

What are the time limits for making chemical injury compensation claims?

To qualify for making a no win no fee chemical injury compensation claim, you must have suffered the effects of the injury within the last three years. The injury must also have been all or partially the fault of somebody else.

• If you were 18 or over when the injury occurred, you have three years to make a claim from the injury or when the symptoms became apparent. 
• If you were under 18 at the time and no claim was made, you have three years from your 18th until your 21st birthday to claim.

There are exceptions to the three-year limitation, for instance if the victim experienced such severe effects of the injury that they can't make the claim themselves. This also applies if they lack the psychological capability to do so, either as a result of the chemical injury or a pre-existing disability.

If you've got any questions about making a no win no fee chemical injury compensation claim, contact us for free and impartial advice on . We'll listen to what you've been through and let you know if we think you could make a no win no fee claim. 

Alternatively, try our eligibility verifier which asks some simple questions about what happened and will let you know whether we think you may have grounds to make a chemical injury compensation claim.

Is National Accident Helpline a claims management company?

No, we aren't. National Accident Helpline is an independent personal injury advice brand owned by legal practice National Accident Law. We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the independent professional ethics and standards regulator that licences all solicitors across England and Wales. Our SRA registration number is 655606.

Claims management companies are overseen by a different regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). CMCs do not have their own law practices. 

We advise on personal injury claims as part of National Accident Law. We also work with a national network of specialist law firms who we choose carefully and check closely to make sure you receive an outstanding customer experience.