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Chemical Burn Compensation Claims & Settlement Values

By Ian Morris | Updated June 12th, 2024

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Chemical burn injuries can lead to permanent disfigurement, severe pain and disabilities such as blindness. As such, compensation settlements can be fairly high in value.

With numerous industries requiring the use of chemicals, the most common place for people to come into contact with hazardous substances that can cause chemical burns is at work.

Employers are required by law to minimise the risk of injury from chemicals and must provide adequate storage, training and personal protective equipment (PPE).

If an employee is injured at work, they have the right to make a claim for compensation. Our specialist solicitors can quickly identify whether an employer has been negligent and if so, pursue a chemical burn claim for you.

Chemical burn injuries explained

Chemicals contain potentially hazardous elements such as acids and alkalis that will damage the tissues of the skin or eyes upon contact.

Hazardous materials that contain such irritants include bleach, industrial cleaning fluids, concrete, rust remover, batteries, refining compounds, agricultural fertilisers. While heavy industries often make use of sulphuric, nitric and phosphoric acid, ammonia and sodium hydroxide.

If any of these or other hazardous chemicals are used without the adequate protection of safety gloves, overalls, face masks and eye protection, serious chemical burn injuries can occur.

Common chemical burn injury symptoms include:

Cracked, sore and red skin
Irritation and rashes
Blurred and lost vision
Loss of sensation in fingers or other affected areas
Dead or blackened skin

External chemical burns are usually visible fairly quickly, but in some cases the onset of symptoms can be delayed.

If any hazardous chemicals are inhaled or ingested, chemical burns can be sustained within the body. Internal organs may face damage that can be fatal, with some symptoms including shortness of breath, heart attacks and even seizures.

Compensation amounts for chemical burns

The value of a claim will be made up of two parts – the element for general damages (reached on the basis of medical evidence and length of injury or recovery) as well as special damages, where any costs and lost income can be recovered. The figures below are a guide to the general damages value only.

The severity of chemical burns can vary greatly, as can their impact on day-to-day life, so there are no set compensation levels for these or other types of burn injury. However, burns of any severity can be very painful and disfiguring so awards are often in the upper ends of the brackets, if not well above when psychological effects are also taken into account.

Let’s take facial disfigurement as an example. Here, where the cosmetic effect is very disfiguring and the psychological reaction severe, settlements can range from around £35,000 to £80,000 and more. Less significant facial scarring falls in a range of £3,000 to £10,000.

Compensation amounts for scarring to other parts of the body, and where the injury is not usually visible, tend to be lower.

A large proportion of awards for multiple scars or a single disfiguring scar on the leg, arm, back or chest fall in the bracket of £5,000 to £20,000.

Chemical burn at work claims

To succeed with a compensation claim for a chemical burn at work, the claimant will need to establish that the injury was caused by an act of negligence.

Most such claims come about after someone has been burned at work whilst using dangerous chemicals without the correct training, guidance or protective equipment. This constitutes a breach of health and safety protocol.

Employers must ensure that comprehensive health and safety regulations are in place in order that employees can work safely and the risks of chemical burn injuries are minimised. They have a number of guidelines to follow.

The Health & Safety at work act 1974 gives employers a responsibility to carry out adequate risk assessments, having safety guideline policies in place and covers the general health and safety of employees.

COSHH (The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002) provides specific safety controls that an employer and employee MUST adhere to whilst using chemicals and substances that could cause serious injury if handled incorrectly. All employers MUST ensure that they have done all that can reasonably be expected of them to minimise the risk of chemical burn injuries to their employees and should therefore routinely enforce COSHH guidelines throughout the workplace.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 give employers a responsibility to:

Adequately risk assess the chemicals they are tasking employees with using
Store and maintain chemicals safely to minimise the risk of chemical burn injuries
Provide the correct personal protective equipment (PPE)
Use and provide adequate first aid services
Train staff in the dangers of the chemicals they are using
Ensure that regular cleaning is in place to remove excess chemicals and hazards.

How to claim chemical burn injury compensation

If an employer fails to enforce sufficient health and safety management in the use of hazard chemicals and an employee suffers a chemical burn injury, the employee can seek to make a claim for compensation against their employer.

At Direct2Compensation we know the rights of employees working with dangerous chemicals and what responsibilities employers have when it comes to the use of and handling of such items.

Making a claim with Direct2Compensation is a simple process. From your initial discussions with our expert staff, we will make an assessment of your claim and place it with one of our specialist chemical burn injury solicitors who will act for you on a No Win No Fee basis.

Our solicitors will then register your claim and carry out further investigations into the cause of your injuries in order to establish liability against the employer or whoever is responsible for your exposure to dangerous chemicals.

As soon as liability is established, they will obtain supporting medical evidence and begin the process of obtaining a full and fair compensation settlement to cover the extent of your injuries and any ongoing medical treatments. They will also ensure that any loss of income and costs are recovered for you.

To start your claim for chemical burn injury compensation, simply call us on 01225 430285 or if you prefer, visit our ‘start a claim’ page and send us your details. We’ll then call you and help you to better understand your rights and get the claims process up and running.

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Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus chemical burn claim examples...

Last week at work I suffered chemical burns to both my eyes that required hospital treatment and I am now on 3 lots of drops and 1 ointment to help my eyes heal, I have partial loss of sight that should eventually return but the hospital couldn’t tell me how long it will take. My work are saying that no other chemical was used in the bin before I used it to do some cleaning. However neither of us have proof if something else was used and this one bin is used by all night staff that use either Zolfora or Flash in this bin.

Could i be entitled to anything as I have current loss of earnings and don’t know how long I will be off work whilst I wait for my sight to return.

We would like to speak with you as we feel you may have grounds to pursue a claim. Employers face strict guidelines when tasking staff with the use of chemicals or substances hazardous to health – these guidelines are known as COSHH. Employers have a duty to ensure that all staff are appropriately trained in the safe use and disposal of relevant products, that the correct type of personal protective equipment is provided and that the products are stored correctly and safely.

Clearly, you have sustained a serious eye problem as a result of the chemicals used at work and this would indicate that there are problems and mistakes that should be avoided and that you have now been injured as a result.

Please call us on 01225430285 so that we can further discuss this with you and advise you accordingly. Alternatively, use our website to provide further information and we’ll call you to give you the help that you need.

Hi its on behalf of my dad as he’s no good with technical things. I’m trying to help him with info, he had a accident at work where he burnt both his feet due to a chemical powder – he’s had medical attention and is having medical attention 3 times a week due to the burns on his feet.

Our Solicitors can help your Father to make a claim for compensation on a No Win No Fee basis. Although we/our Solicitor will need to have a conversation with him on the phone if he is to proceed with a claim, the fact that he is not particularly adept with technology is not a problem and you can certainly assist him in the early stages with making further contact with us.

When employers are expecting employees to handle or work in areas where hazardous chemicals are located, the employer has a strict duty of care to ensure that the employee can work safely. This requires the employer to ensure that all staff in question have had COSHH training and that they are provided with the appropriate PPE. The fact that your father has sustained chemical burns to his feet indicates that at the very least, he does not have the appropriate protective footwear. If this is the case, we should have no issue in establishing employer negligence.

Please call us on 01225430285 for a no obligation conversation where we can find out a little more about the work your Father undertakes and how he came to sustain chemical burns. It’s important that your Father knows his rights after suffering avoidable injuries at work and we’re more than happy to answer any questions he may have.

I was outside at the workplace with the cleaning machine to clean it and refill it with water and soap for floor cleaning. When I was pumping out the soap into the machine some came out and starting dripping on my foot and my foot got wet inside the shoes I was wearing. When I arrived home, my foot was sore and I found that my foot was without skin in places and burned. That soap is for floor cleaners it’s not supposed to burn the skin. It’s not my fault.

You appear to have been asked to work with a dangerous chemical in the floor cleaning work you undertake. As such, the employer has a duty of care to ensure that you are appropriately trained in handling of chemicals (COSHH) and that you are given the appropriate PPE – which in this case would include gloves and specific footwear. Your employer appears to have breached their duty of care in this matter by failing to provide you with the right training or the right PPE. You can make a claim for personal injury compensation and we can help you to do this on a No Win No Fee basis.

I suffered a bad chemical burn from a very corrosive oven cleaner. This was to my left leg. I have been back and forth to various hospitals and have now been referred to a specialist burns unit at St John’s Hospital. The accident happened at a place of work in England. I work Nationwide, but I stay in Scotland. The accident wasn’t properly reported in an accident book and the employer has not filled in any forms or reported this injury to the HSE. Most importantly, I had no training at all and I am now off work with no sick pay as i haven’t been there long enough.

Please contact us as soon as possible as you have a valid claim for personal injury compensation on the basis of employer negligence. You work with dangerous chemicals and at the very least, you should have been given COSHH training and PPE to ensure that you would be able to work safely. Your employer should have reported the accident to the relevant authorities and recorded the details within their own accident book system. However, your medical records will provide supporting evidence to help your claim.

How much do you think I would get if I have chemical burns an red patches of skin raised white blisters and peeling of the skin?

It is impossible to state with any degree of accuracy as to what value a compensation settlement would be without sight of a medical experts report or photographic evidence of the extent of any skin rashes, scarring or discolouration. However, the nature of the injuries you have sustained indicates that your claim would certainly satisfy the element of qualifying criteria when it comes to severity of injury and our specialist Solicitors will ensure that your claim would settle for the maximum possible settlement value should you succeed with your claim. They would also recover any lost income and incurred costs for you too.

I have suffered a chemical burn in work without having the right training and without the correct PPE. I’m 19 and my girlfriend is having our first child today and I can’t even hold him, my works are trying everything to make sure it was my fault.

It is important to ignore any comments made by your employer and to simply focus on ensuring that you provide an accurate report (accident book entry or your own written statement) about the way in which you were injured.

Essentially, if you are being tasked with handling chemicals or substances hazardous to health, your employer must abide by the COSHH regulations. Your employers failure to provide you with the correct PPE is employer negligence and you should be able to succeed with a claim against the employer for the pain and discomfort caused by your injuries and the impact on your day-to-day life.

I went to a salon to get my hair bleached and they used foils etc. Everything was fine, but they it heated up really quickly and I told them it was hurting. They quickly moved me and rinsed the middle of my head where it was burning – but not the sides though because it still needed time for the bleach to take effect.

My head was still sore after the sides were done. The senior hairdresser told the junior to rinse my head with cold water but she washed it with warm water which to me felt hot too me and I did mention that. After that my head just felt even worse, so they put in the toner then washed my hair again, blow dried and straightened my hair. After they did that, my head was weeping and they didn’t even tell me to see a Doctor or anything! They just said don’t wash your hair for 5-6 days and to let it scab over! When I left the salon, my head felt really sore. By the day after it felt like it was getting worse so I had put my head under cold water to ease the pain. A week later I went to the hospital and they put me on antibiotics as the damage to my scalp had become infected and a lot of my middle hair was gone. I’ve still got a lot more to say but this is a summary.

Our Solicitors have previously succeeded with claims against Hair Salons where they have caused injuries to the scalp or hair loss through negligence or mishandling of chemical products.

In your case, we would be happy to look further in to your situation and pass the details of a potential claim to our specialist Solicitors os that they can consider the merits of your case and potentially pursue a claim for your hair loss, discomfort and scalp burns.

If you haven’t already done so, we would recommend that you make the Salon aware (in writing) of the injuries that they have caused you.

My Dad got burnt last year at work with burning chemicals, he was wearing boots when he was supposed to be wearing wellies which would protect him but he wasn’t provided with these wellies. It burnt all his ankles, feet and toes. Would he be entitled to claim?

Your Father most certainly would be entitled to claim. Employers that expect workers to handle potentially dangerous and hazardous chemicals, must ensure that COSHH regulations are followed and that the correct personal protective equipment has been provided to the employees. This appears to have not happened in your Father’s case and we feel he has a valid and robust claim.

We have specialist Solicitors with a proven track record in pursuit of claims for injuries caused through the mishandling of chemicals and we would like to help your Father in this case.

A pipe in work was leaking acid and the vapors burnt my face. The leak was recorded, but I didn’t report my face because I didn’t think it was that bad at first. However it got worse the next day. Could I still claim?

Yes, you could still pursue a claim against your employer. It is important that you make the employer aware that you were indeed injured by the leaking acid and you should seek medical attention regarding the burn injury in order to provide supporting evidence for any future claim.

I was asked to clean some permanent marker from a whiteboard from my employer. Within a couple of days my hand started peeling and upon a medical exam I was referred to a burns unit for chemical burns to my dominant hand. 2 years on I am still having issues such as recurrent peeling skin (hand and fingers) which gets so thin its very painful. I also suffer pins & needles along with occasional numbness which the hospital say is nerve damage. I am looking at claiming from my employer but not sure if I have a claim? Will they say its my fault?

If your employer did not provide you with advice as to the nature of the chemical product you were using or gloves to protect your hands, they could be liable and you have a right to make a claim for compensation.

If you would like to take this further, please use the contact us options on our website and we’ll call you to take some further details and have our specialist Solicitors consider this matter for you.

My daughter is in her first job from college. We have had our concerns from day one – lack of contract, lack of payslip, etc but she enjoys the job and doesn’t want to cause trouble so accepts the excuses they ply her with. Then last week she had an accident at work which resulted in both a hot water and chemical burn to her leg. At 18 and with two months experience she was the most senior person there (the other being a 16 year old pot wash boy). There were customers also and she had no keys to lock up with to seek assistance resulting in further damage to her leg. She has been off work, unpaid, for a week but has gone back on light duties. Her employer has magically on her return produced a contract which she has signed but has no copy of. He has also filled in an ‘accident’ report despite him not having been present and my daughter has neither read that or signed it. Very concerned for her working there and I feel they should be taken to task over this, does she have a case?

There is certainly a valid claim to investigate and look further in to here. Whether or not the claim will succeed will depend on the way in which the burns were caused, but given the apparently disorganised nature of the workplace, one can imagine that there is not much training going on and given that a chemical burn has been sustained there are questions to ask about the employers policy on COSHH and health and safety in general.

As your Daughter is 18 years of age, she can make a claim without needing formal parental support. We would be happy to help her with your support by way of a claim for compensation and would like to discuss with her as to how we can assist.

Whilst it is always wise to take action at the earliest opportunity, your Daughter doesn’t have to rush in to a claim if she doesn’t want to. The law will afford her 3 years from the date of the accident to make a claim.

4 years back I walked out the back door of work, they didn’t inform anyone, no note, nothing, that they were degreasing the concrete outside and I slip and fall chemically burning all inside my rear end. If I’m hot or walk too much it will chafe and sometimes bleed. Can I still sue?

UK law would not allow you to make a claim for personal injury compensation if the injury was caused more than 3 years ago – unless you were under the age of 18 years at the time.

I have just had an accident at work. I operate a printing press and the previous operator on the shift before me had left a tray of a chemical cleaner in the machine and not told me, so when I pulled the tray out thinking it was empty the chemicals spilled down my leg. I cleaned it all off straight away and went home to shower but it had soaked into my sock and work shoe giving me a bad chemical burn. I went straight to my local A&E and the next day I had to go to a burns unit out of town. I was off work for 2 weeks both of which I was paid for. I have been told that my foot will make a full recovery with no scaring. With this in mind, would I still have a claim?

It would appear that you have been fortunate in that you will make a full recovery from the chemical burn you have sustained. However, despite the likely full recovery and the fact that your employer paid you in full, you would still be able to pursue a claim for compensation in this matter.

You would, if successful with your claim, be able to recover a compensation settlement that covered the pain and distress caused to you by the injury and also recover any costs or losses that you have incurred because of the incident.

If you would like to pursue this claim further, please call us.

Hi there, recently I was burned at work with 200 degree thermoplastic paint that has left me with a full depth burn to my face.

It happened when I was putting a jug of paint back on the the burner where it caught the rail on the burner and the paint splashed back in my face (the rail sits at 5ft height on the bed of the truck). My employer had failed to issue me with burn information, so not knowing what to do at Russells Hall hospital, I picked the paint off of my skin and later found out that this is the wrong thing to do. I was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where the injury was treated correctly.

A few days after the incident, I met with the employers HR people and I suggested that we should have had burns card information. She assured me this info was in our lorry, but when checking this I couldn’t find the info so I asked her to point this out and she couldn’t as this information wasn’t there. Thanks.

On the basis of the burn injury scenario you have described, our initial view is that you may have a valid claim for compensation against your employer. As you have been left with a permanent scar to the face, the potential value of such a claim could be substantial. When compensation settlements are decided, the amount of compensation due to a claimant will be agreed on the basis of the injury, whether permanent damage was done (such as scarring) and if so, whether the scarring is in a very visible place. With regards to facial scarring, the value that can be assigned to such an injury is at the upper end of the scale.

It is clear that the work you were doing is not without risk to health and safety and as such, your employer had an obligation under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure that the risks to your health are minimised as far as possible in order that your workplace is as safe as it can be. Therefore, your employer was obliged to ensure that you were properly trained and that you were given the necessary training and knowledge to work safely and to ensure that you know what to do in the event of an accident. Clearly, there is a question to be answered by your employer here with regards to whether or not they have fulfilled their statutory duties.

We would like to spend 5 minutes on the phone with you in order that we can find out a little more about your accident. We would then allow one of our specialist burn injury at work Solicitors to look at your claim enquiry and then pursue your claim on a No Win No Fee basis. If you would like to take this further, please call us on 01225430285.

Hi I worked in a chemical plant for 7 years in the first year me and 3 colleagues had severe burns to our hand that required hospital treatment.
Also we used to charge tanks with acyrlic acid and still 17 years after leaving there after I get out of a shower in the morning my face is bright red except a out line of safety glasses and a fine mask.
The company was taken over by basf.

I am not sure if you have any chance of claiming compensation here. My worry is that you are now outside of the limitation period.

Hi, a week ago I sustained a chemical burn at work using a substance called Beta Propiolactone. It caused blistering to my lower left arm. This was due to a spill and at the time had not realised I was injured as the blister was noticed the following day. I went to A&E who assessed and had a follow up check were I was told it is healing nicely. The protocol states that the cabinet that was used is not providing protection for a spill so wondering if I can make a claim.

The injury you have suffered at work appears to have been avoidable if the correct cabinet and equipment had been provided by the employer. As such, you are likely to be able to succeed with a claim. The main issue now will be considering the severity of the injury and ensuring that it meets the criteria needed to enable a claim to proceed.

Please contact us on 01225430285 or use the form on the start your claim page of our site to make further contact with us so that we can advise you properly.