Occupational Dermatitis

Dermatitis is a skin condition caused by contact with something that irritates the skin or causes an allergic reaction. It usually occurs where the irritant touches the skin, but not always.

The sufferer may have some or all of the following:

• Itching
• Pain
• Blistering
• Weeping
• Redness
• Swelling
• Cracking
• Scaling/flaking

The symptoms of dermatitis can be so bad that in serious case the sufferer has to change jobs or give up work altogether.

Irritant Contact Dermatitis – can appear quickly after contact with a strong irritant, or over a longer period from repeated contact with weaker irritants. Irritants can be chemical, biological, mechanical or physical. Repeated and prolonged contact with water can also cause irritant dermatitis.</br></br>Allergic contact dermatitis – This can occur when the sufferer develops an allergy to a substance. Once someone is ‘sensitised’, it is likely to be permanent and any skin contact with that substance will cause allergic contact dermatitis. Often skin sensitisers are also irritants.

Some of the more common causes of irritant and allergic contact dermatitis:

Irritant contact dermatitis:

• Wet Work
• Soaps, Shampoos and Detergents
• Solvents
• Certain Foodstuffs
• Oils and Greases
• Dusts
• Acids and Alkalis
• Wet Cement

Allergic contact dermatitis

• Some Hair Dyes
• UV Cured Printing Inks
• Adhesives
• Nickel
• Some Plants (eg chrysanthemums)
• Colophony
• Certain Wood Dusts

The best form of treatment for dermatitis is protection. If you work in an environment that involves exposure to irritants, it is the responsibility of your employer to ensure that your skin is adequately protected when you are required to use harmful substances.

If you have been diagnosed with occupational dermatitis, Beecham Peacock has the expertise to help you make a claim for financial compensation. Employers are legally required to make sure that workers are not at risk of dermatitis and that adequate protection is provided when employers are required to use irritants and harmful substances. If your employer fails to ensure that protection is made available to you, Beecham Peacock can help you to make a claim for compensation.

At Beecham Peacock, we have helped victims of occupational dermatitis for many years and have extensive experience of dealing with claims for compensation.