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Chemical Leaks Claims
It is an employer’s responsibility to make all employees aware of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for any hazardous substances that they handle, store or dispose of. The information in an MSDS will help to protect everyone in the workplace, by avoiding causing damage to their work environment. If your business makes or supplies potentially hazardous substances, you must record these substances on an MSDS.
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), an employer must control their employee’s exposure to hazardous substances as much as possible to reduce the health risk to employees.
Amount of Compensation
All personal injury cases are unique and so the amount of compensation that is awarded in each case is also unique. Compensation is understood by looking at two distinct factors: general damages and special damages.
General Damages
The pain and suffering that your injuries have caused are the main factors that are used to determine how much general damage compensation you are owed. This will usually be determined by undergoing a medical examination, from which a report is created that highlights the length of time the injuries will take to heal as well as their severity. Our compensation calculator will give you an indication of how much general damage compensation you might be entitled to based on your injuries.
Special Damages
In addition to receiving compensation for your injuries, you may be able to reclaim any financial losses that you might have suffered as a result of your injuries. Compensation for financial losses is known as special damages compensation. This can include losses such as loss of earnings due to not being able to return to work, the cost of treatment as well as travel to treatment. It is important that you keep any receipts or evidence of additional losses in order for these to be reclaimed.
With the exception of children, there is a three-year time limit on making a personal injury claim. This time limit begins from the date that the accident initially occurred. Therefore, you should contact a personal injury solicitor as soon as possible to assess your case.
Accidents at Work Involving Chemical Leaks
Many industries use chemicals, to manufacture, test, or produce. Due to this, it is inevitable that injuries will sometimes occur. Employees are responsible for the health and well-being of their workforce and as a result, they must do their utmost to try to safeguard their safety. For example, they must carry out risk assessments and take reasonable precautions. There are stringent laws governing the use and manufacture of chemicals in the workplace.
Examples of Chemical Leak Incidents
Chemical leaks are thankfully not very common. However, they can still happen and are still a serious risk. For example, in January 2020 there was an ‘acid cloud’ leak at a West Thurrock chemical plant. Luckily the incident was not a risk to public health, but many schools had to close in order to be safe.
However, many leaks can sadly cause illness, injury and even death. For example, a 2007 accident involving the release of hexamethylenediamine in a Teesside chemical plant saw 37 workers suffer serious burns, breathing difficulties and skin irritation. In these sorts of cases, employees may want to make a work injury compensation claim.
Your employer has a duty of care to ensure your health and safety and if this duty has not been met, you deserve to be able to claim. The health consequences of chemical leaks can often be quite severe and distressing for the person who has been affected and their family members which mean that the compensation amounts will often be quite large.
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Get in touch with First Personal Injury on 0333 358 2345 or through our online claim form.