We are personal injury solicitors specialising in claiming compensation for workers exposed to toxic fumes. Catherine Smith has experience with all types of work injury claims, and introduces our services in this video.

Read more about toxic fumes and smoke injuries below, or use our free legal advice service opposite to ask us a question or to get started making a claim.

Claiming Compensation For Exposure To Toxic Fumes At Work

Exposure to toxic fumes and smoke in the workplace causes hundreds of injuries each year, as well as a substantial number of fatalities. Certain gases such as carbon monoxide may be completely undetectable by the human senses, and unwitting exposure cause poisonings which can prove fatal within 20 minutes. Thick smoke will restrict the flow of oxygen to the lungs, inhibiting a person's ability to breath, and prolonged inhalation of smoke will cause loss of consciousness. Smoke itself may contain toxic chemicals, and these may cause severe damage to the skin, eyes and internal organs, especially the lungs. The major symptoms of toxic chemical fumes exposure include prolonged headaches, breathing difficulties, spells of dizziness, loss of memory, chronic tiredness, skin damage and joint pain. Toxic fumes and smoke exposure may also cause brain damage and permanent disability. Employers must take all reasonable measures to prevent their workers being exposed to toxic chemical fumes. In a number of industries new toxic chemicals are introduced every year, and for this reason the number of people injured annually by toxic fumes and smoke inhalation remains unacceptably high.

Typical Causes Of Toxic Chemical Fumes At Work

Hazardous fumes are present in a variety of different industries and come in many different forms. The deadly carbon monoxide gas may be found in any environment where gas-powered appliances are present. Construction, building site workers and painters routinely prepare and handle toxic chemical mixtures in the course of their work. Paint fumes are highly toxic, and may affect both painters and those in their immediate surroundings. Certain workplaces face more specific threats from harmful agents. Airline pilots and cabin staff for example are often exposed to poisonous engine fumes and hydraulic fluid spread via the aircraft's cabin ventilation system. Welders regularly develop welder's siderosis (also known as welder's lung), a serious condition caused by the toxic fumes given off by welding rods. Every workplace and public premises (such as supermarkets, gyms and hairdressers) will use powerful bleach-based products as an essential part of their cleaning regime. Swimming pools rely on highly toxic chlorine for the sanitation of their water. The problem is striking the correct balance between the eradication of germs, and the amount of chemicals used to achieve it. It is also important that cleaning staff mix their solutions in the correct proportions and closely follow the safety warnings on products.

Toxic Fumes - Responsibilties Of Commercial Premises & Employers

High street retailers and offering services must ensure that they have adequate ventilation installed on their premises to disperse fumes and maintain healthy air quality. This is especially important at hairdressing salons and laser clinics, where products and treatment procedures release toxic chemical fumes. In the workplace all possible steps should be taken to lower the risk of toxic fumes and smoke causing injuries to workers. This includes the provision of safety equipment such as goggles, masks and gloves by the employer. Management must also ensure they have a safe system of work in place, and that effective supervision of working practises in maintained. Employees should receive training in work involving contact with substances with the potential to release poisonous chemical fumes. Detailed requirements for employers and public premises regarding the handling, storage and use of dangerous chemicals are contained in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).

Compensation For Toxic Fumes & Breathing Difficulties

For injuries involving breathing difficulties (short of disabling breathlessness) requiring fairly frequent use of an inhaler; where there is inability to tolerate a smoky environment and an uncertain prognosis but already significant effect on social and working life, compensation awards will range between £20,000 and £35,000. For bronchitis and wheezing not causing serious symptoms; little or no serious or permanent effect on working or social life; with varying levels of anxiety about the future, awards will be between £13,250 and £20,000. For injuries resulting in some slight breathlessness with no effect on working life and the likelihood of substantial and permanent recovery within a few years of the exposure to the cause or the aggravation of an existing condition, compensation awards will be £6,750 and £13,250. For less serious injuries, such as temporary aggravation of bronchitis or other chest problems resolving within a few months, compensation awards will be between £1,400 and £3,450.

Bartletts Solicitors are specialists in injury compensation claims on behalf of workers and members of the public who have been injured by inhaling chemical fumes. We operate on a no win no fee basis meaning if you win your case the losing party to the claim or their insurance company will pay all of your legal fees, and if you lose you will not pay a penny.