Dermatitis Claims for Compensation

Work related dermatitis and skin conditions

A change in your skin such as a rash or the development of dermatitis is easy to spot, what is more difficult is to establish whether it is  caused by your work.

Most work-related skin diseases are dermatitis.

The first test in establishing if it is work related is to check whether your skin condition is dermatitis.  People present their skin to the doctor at different stages of their condition.  The medical professional needs to diagnose the condition as being dermatitis. Other skin conditions such as psoriasis, pustulosis of the palms and soles, tinea, scabies, lichen planus can be confused with dermatitis.

A diagnosis of dermatitis does not automatically mean that it is caused by your work as it is a condition that can be caused by constitutional reasons-ie it would have happened to you anyway regardless of whether you work.

The medical practitioner also needs to consider what products you have been exposed to at work and whether they are the sort of products that can cause dermatitis.

Once sensitisation has occurred, subsequent contact causes T-cells to recognise the sensitiser and multiply. This induces the release of substances such as histamine that bring about the features of inflammation (known as elicitation). This second phase can happen hours or days following contact hence its name ‘delayed hypersensitivity’. Very small quantities of the sensitiser can trigger a response once sensitised.

There is a range in potency for sensitisers. The initiation of sensitisation may occur at the very first contact or it may not happen until there has been repeated contact for months or even years. The process of sensitisation produces no visible change in the skin.

Generally, only a small proportion of an exposed occupational group becomes sensitised. It depends on the concentration of sensitiser and the degree and duration of skin contact as well as the sensitising potential of the sensitiser.

Sensitisation is specific to one substance or to a group of substances that are chemically similar. Once sensitised a person is likely to remain so for life.
Both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis can occur together (particularly on the hands) and either may co exist with constitutional dermatitis. It is common for exposure to occur to more than one irritant and more than one allergen at any one time. Such exposures may give rise to a cumulative irritant and cumulative allergic response. An irritant contact dermatitis may also develop first, rendering the skin more susceptible to penetration by sensitisers. It is also possible that an original allergic contact dermatitis might be later sustained by an irritant.

There are a number of occupations and materials associated with allergic contact dermatitis. Some substances can act both as irritants and sensitisers, for example cement; its wetness, alkalinity, grittiness and hygroscopicity make it an irritant. It contains the sensitisers chromate and cobalt.

Who is responsible for your Occupational Dermatitis?

Employer to blame for Occupational Dermatitisis?

If you havea skin condition as a result of your work you may be entitled to MAKE A CLAIM.  Contact us on 0207 653 3208

If you  have developed dermatitis, you may be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim.