Occupational Dermatitis & Skin Conditions.

Yes — if your dermatitis was caused or significantly worsened by your work, and your employer failed to take reasonable steps to protect your skin, you may have a compensation claim. Employers have a duty under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) to assess and control exposure to substances that can damage the skin, and to provide protective equipment and skin surveillance. A successful claim compensates for the discomfort and impact of the condition, any loss of earnings — particularly where the dermatitis has forced a change of job — and the cost of treatment. Where a worker has had to leave a trade they were sensitised to, the loss of earnings element can be significant. Taking specialist advice is the first step in assessing whether a claim is viable.

Proving causation in an occupational dermatitis claim requires medical and factual evidence. The medical evidence consists of a dermatologist's diagnosis — and in allergic cases, patch testing to identify the specific allergen responsible — together with an expert report attributing the condition to occupational exposure. A key feature supporting causation is improvement when away from work (such as during holidays) and worsening on return — this pattern strongly indicates a workplace cause. The factual evidence covers the work history: the substances and conditions encountered, the nature and duration of exposure, and whether protective equipment, skin surveillance, and adequate facilities were provided. Evidence from colleagues about working conditions and the substances used supports the claim. Medical records documenting the progression of the condition are also important.

All workplace illness claims at Robertsons, including occupational dermatitis claims, are funded on a conditional fee agreement — no win no fee. You pay nothing upfront and nothing if the claim is unsuccessful. If the claim succeeds, legal fees are recovered from the defendant, and all funding arrangements are explained in full before you instruct us. There is no financial risk to you in pursuing a claim, and the no win no fee model ensures that the strength of your claim — not your ability to pay legal fees — determines whether you can seek compensation.

The limitation period is three years from the date of knowledge — when you first knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that you had a significant skin condition attributable to your work. For dermatitis, the date of knowledge is often the point at which the condition was diagnosed as work-related, or when a doctor advised that the workplace was the cause — which may be later than when symptoms first appeared. The court also has discretion under section 33 of the Limitation Act 1980 to allow late claims where equitable. Because dermatitis can come and go depending on exposure, the limitation analysis can be complex — taking legal advice promptly once a connection to work is suspected or confirmed is important to avoid losing the right to claim.

Compensation depends on the severity and persistence of the condition, its impact on daily life, and any effect on the claimant's ability to work. General damages for pain, suffering, and loss of amenity are assessed using the Judicial College Guidelines, which provide brackets for dermatitis ranging from cases that clear up within months once exposure ends, to severe and persistent conditions affecting both hands continuously over many years. Special damages cover financial losses — most significantly loss of earnings where the dermatitis has forced a worker to leave a trade they have become sensitised to, or to reduce their hours. The cost of treatment, prescriptions, and skin care products can also be recovered. Where sensitisation has ended a career — for example, a hairdresser sensitised to hair products — the loss of earnings claim can be substantial.

Employers have a duty under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) to protect workers from substances that can damage the skin. This includes: assessing the risk of skin exposure to hazardous substances; preventing or adequately controlling that exposure — for example by substituting safer substances, providing splash guards, or reducing wet work; providing suitable personal protective equipment such as gloves and barrier creams where control measures alone are insufficient; carrying out skin surveillance to detect early signs of dermatitis so that affected workers can be protected before the condition becomes severe; and providing information and training on the risks and how to protect the skin. Failure to provide appropriate gloves, to allow time for proper hand care, or to carry out skin surveillance are common grounds of negligence in occupational dermatitis claims.

The core evidence for an occupational dermatitis claim is: a diagnosis from a dermatologist, supported in allergic cases by patch testing to identify the specific allergen; a medical expert report attributing the condition to occupational exposure and assessing its severity and prognosis; evidence of the characteristic pattern of improvement away from work and worsening on return, which strongly supports a workplace cause; a detailed work history identifying the substances and conditions encountered and the duration of exposure; evidence that adequate protective equipment, skin surveillance, and facilities were not provided; and witness evidence from colleagues about working conditions. Medical records and any occupational health records documenting the condition and its connection to work are valuable. Photographs of the condition during flare-ups can also support the claim.

A dissolved or insolvent former employer does not prevent an occupational dermatitis claim. Employers were legally required to hold Employers' Liability insurance, and insurers remain liable to meet valid claims even after the employer has ceased trading. The Employers' Liability Tracing Office (ELTO) database can be searched to locate historic insurance policies. Specialist industrial disease solicitors have experience in tracing dissolved companies and their insurers. While occupational dermatitis claims often relate to more recent employment than some other industrial diseases — meaning the employer is more likely to still exist — the dissolution of a former employer is not a barrier to a claim where the relevant insurer can be traced.

Occupational dermatitis is inflammation of the skin caused or worsened by exposure to substances or conditions at work. It typically affects the hands and forearms — the areas most often in contact with workplace substances — causing redness, itching, dryness, cracking, blistering, and in severe cases painful weeping and infection. It is one of the most common occupational diseases in the UK. Causes include: wet work (prolonged or frequent hand-wetting); detergents and cleaning chemicals; solvents, oils, and degreasers; cement and construction materials; hairdressing chemicals; foods in catering; and many other irritants and allergens. Occupational dermatitis is largely preventable with proper skin protection and control measures, so where a worker develops it, it often reflects a failure by the employer to protect them.

There are two main types of occupational contact dermatitis. Irritant contact dermatitis is caused by direct physical or chemical damage to the skin from a substance — for example, repeated hand-washing, exposure to detergents, solvents, or cement. It can affect anyone with sufficient exposure and is the more common type. Allergic contact dermatitis involves an immune system reaction — the worker becomes sensitised to a specific substance (such as certain chemicals, latex, or hairdressing products) and subsequently reacts to even small amounts of it. Once sensitised, the allergy is usually permanent. The distinction matters for both diagnosis and the claim: allergic contact dermatitis often requires patch testing to identify the specific allergen, and the prognosis differs — a sensitised worker may need to avoid the substance entirely, which can affect their ability to continue in their occupation.

Beyond contact dermatitis, a range of other occupational skin conditions can give rise to claims. These include: occupational acne (including chloracne, caused by exposure to certain chlorinated chemicals); chrome ulceration (caused by exposure to chromic acid and chromates, common in plating and tanning); contact urticaria (hives caused by skin contact with allergens such as latex); occupational skin cancer (caused by exposure to mineral oils, pitch, tar, arsenic, or prolonged outdoor ultraviolet exposure); and skin damage from vibration or repeated friction. Each of these conditions has specific causative substances and occupational associations. Where employer negligence caused the exposure that led to the condition, a compensation claim may be available. Occupational skin cancer in particular can be serious and warrants prompt specialist legal and medical advice.

Many occupations carry a high risk of occupational skin disease. High-risk jobs include: hairdressers and beauticians (exposure to dyes, bleaches, shampoos, and wet work); cleaners and domestic workers (detergents and wet work); healthcare workers (frequent hand-washing, gloves, and disinfectants); caterers and food handlers (wet work, foods, and cleaning chemicals); construction workers (cement, which causes both irritant dermatitis and chromate allergy); mechanics and engineers (oils, solvents, and degreasers); printers and painters (chemicals and solvents); and florists and agricultural workers (plants and pesticides). Common causative substances include detergents, soaps, cement, chromates, epoxy resins, rubber chemicals, latex, hair products, and cutting oils. Wet work — prolonged or repeated skin wetting — is one of the most significant and widespread causes.