PPE Claims – Get Compensation For Missing Or Inadequate PPE

By Ian Morris | Updated June 22nd, 2023

71 questions have been answered on this subject - ask us your question

You can claim compensation if you have been injured due to missing or inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE), if it can be proven that those responsible for your safety failed to comply with their statutory duties. In this article we look at how to make a successful PPE injury claim.

When can you claim for an injury caused by missing or inadequate PPE?
The benefits of claiming compensation
How Direct2Compensation can help
Comments – your questions answered

When can you claim for an injury caused by missing or inadequate PPE?

In the majority of cases, inadequate protective equipment claims will relate to an injury suffered at work. In such cases, a claim will succeed if employer negligence can be proved. This would include a lack of enforcement, or provision of protective equipment, or allowing use of the wrong equipment. It could be that an employer has failed to provide gloves, hard hats or re-enforced footwear, for example. All workers, whether temporary or permanent, have the same right to a safe working environment and legal entitlements following an injury at work.

Employers must ensure:

That staff are provided with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) or made aware they need to provide their own PPE.
That any protective equipment provided is of sound working order and fit for purpose, by way of regular servicing and repair of the same.
That any tools or machinery that are faulty are removed from use and only returned to active service once fully repaired.

Commonly associated with inadequate protective equipment are crushing injuries, lacerations and burns. In more severe claims we see permanent consequences from the injuries, such as limited mobility, scarring and psychological trauma. Common scenarios of inadequate protective equipment claims include:

Workers suffering head injuries due to a lack of hard hat provision
Lacerations to the hands and fingers because of a lack of gloves
Crushing injuries to the feet and toes due to a lack of protective footwear
Chemical burn injuries
Respiratory damage or skin irritations such as industrial dermatitis through a lack of protective equipment for the safe handling of dangerous chemicals

The benefits of claiming PPE compensation

If you have been injured as a result of inadequate protective equipment, claiming personal injury compensation can help ease some of the problems you’ll experience and help in a number of ways:

It’s your legal right, and if successful will fairly compensate you for injuries that were not your fault.
A successful claim could fund private medical treatment and rehabilitation therapies to speed your recovery.
It can help you recover any lost income now and in the future if you are prevented from working again.
In the case of a fatal accident, loved ones can claim compensation for their loss.

As all claims are made on a No Win No Fee basis, you will never be charged if your claim does not succeed. A successful claim will lead to a compensation settlement being made to you, with the value of the claim including any lost income and incurred costs as well as a settlement for the injuries and medical treatment that you have sustained.

How Direct2Compensation can help with your PPE claim

As with all work accident claims, it is important to make sure that the details of your accident have been recorded properly within an accident book, and that medical attention is sought for any injuries that you have sustained. If you haven’t done this already, we can help you to do so.

At Direct2Compensation we can evaluate whether you were injured because of inadequate protective equipment. We know your rights, and can help you to understand whether the specifics of your accident mean you can successfully claim injury compensation.

Direct2Compensation work with some of the best expert injury compensation solicitors in the UK. With our easy to understand claims process and ability to handle your claim quickly, simply and transparently, there are many reasons that make us the right choice when it comes to starting your claim.

To find out a little bit more about the claims process and how we can help, start your claim online or , and one of our expert team will be in touch to offer help. Alternatively, call us on 01225 430285.

71 questions have been answered on this subject - ask us your question

Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus missing ppe claim examples...

I worked in an Air freshener factory about 25 years ago. Since then I have had asthma and sore eyes. We wasn’t given any kind of ppe. Is it to late to make a claim?

If your symptoms developed more than 3 years ago, you would be out of limitation and unable to do anything.

Hi, i cut my wrist with glass at work. i didn’t have safety cuffs around my wrist, i have been at home for 10 months had 3 operations. what can i claim and when do i claim?

Under UK law, any personal injury claim must be made within 3 years of the date of the accident. Therefore, if you were injured at work 10 months ago, you have a further 26 months in which you can pursue your claim for accident at work compensation.

I was told I had to wear my hard hat on a flooring job and it impaired my vision when walking and looking down, throwing the rubber base around the perimeter and hit a metal shelf it jammed my neck. I have four herniated disc‘s and bone fragments in my neck. I have told them my supervisor and owner of the company about injury the day it happened. I never went to the doctor, a month later I got numbness in my right hand lasted about for five months it went away in about two years. Later that the pain was so bad going down my shoulders I couldn’t work and I got some MRIs done and I looked up the hardhat rules and it says as long as there’s no impaired danger there is no need for a hardhat and nobody was working above me so I was just wondering what are my rights?

You need to find out why the employer required you to wear a hard hat. I would expect that a risk assessment had been carried out in advance and that the hard hat was recommended as a requirement.

Clearly, you have suffered a serious injury and as such, investigating a possible claim further is both sensible and reasonable.

I started at a factory a few weeks ago. They didn’t have gloves small enough for me, so they gave me the smallest they had. Then my glove got pulled into the machine, fracturing my fingertip and requiring 8 stitches. But I’m new here, on probation/temp until August. I don’t want to lose my job. What do I do?

Whether or not you are new to the job and on probation, you are afforded the same health and safety rights as any other worker. If your employer has put you at risk of injury by failing to provide you with the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) as would appear to be the case here with regards to you being given gloves that were not the correct size for you, you have the right to make a claim for compensation.

You should definitely make sure that the details of your accident are recorded within your employers accident book so that there is a record of the accident and relevant evidence to support your claim – should you make one in the future.

Given your concerns about your temporary position until August, you could always speak to us so that we can make a record of the claim details and at least let you speak with a qualified specialist personal injury Solicitor. If they were to then wish to pursue your claim, you could request that the claim was set aside until your probationary period had expired. Remember, no Solicitor could start action on your claim without your signed instructions and authority to do so.

You’ve had a nasty injury that will leave a scar and probably affect your dexterity and grip strength. Therefore, claiming compensation for this would be fair and reasonable.

Started a new job everything was great until they started to move old machines in then the air was filled with an oily mist. On some days it was really bad in there and we also had loads of welding smoke in the air too. The sumps at the back of the machines were filled with a type of oil which was floating on top of the coolant.

I fell ill with chest infection 3 times in 3 months and the last one put me in hospital (I was in bed for 6 weeks and away from work for 3 months off). When I returned to work the employer had erected 4 cameras to monitor workers – 3 of which appear to be focused on me and my work station. I don’t know where I stand.

The cameras monitoring your work area and the work undertaken by you and your colleagues is somewhat of a red herring as it would have no bearing on any possible claim you were to make for compensation.

In your case, your employer has a duty of care to ensure that the health and safety of you and your colleagues is protected so far as possible. This would include minimising exposure to noxious gasses or fumes. Therefore, the employer should have ensured that all workers and visitors had protective masks and that sufficient and correct ventilation equipment was provided. If they have failed to do this, it could well give rise to a claim for personal injury compensation.

I was injured at work because they didn’t gave me safety boots.

If an employer fails to provide a worker with the required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), or fails to ensure that such protective equipment is worn by all people on site, they are guilty of employer negligence if there is then an accident and injuries are sustained. In such cases, the employer would most likely lose should anyone then pursue a claim for accident at work compensation.

i have been told by the HSE that i have been using lead paint for 3 years with not the right breathing mask or correct ventilation my employee was issued with 3 prohibition notices but still use lead paint, the HSE advised me to see my GP to check skin inhalation and my breathing, he bullies me and the other staff, my dad informed the HSE as he was worried about my health.

Your employer has clearly been guilty of negligence here and is playing a dangerous game with your well-being and health. Have you now seen your GP regarding the issue? Get in touch with us if you’d like some advice as to your rights here and whether you can claim compensation.

I am going to book with my gp as it has taken 6 weeks for my employer to act on this. He has now changed the paint to lead free. Do i still have a claim.

Adam

You are doing the right thing in terms of seeing your GP. Make sure you inform the GP in full as to what has happened and what materials your employer has been getting you to work with.

I would suggest that when you have seen your GP and been given advice as to what, if any, health problems the lead paint etc has caused, that you return to me. We can then investigate further with regards to a claim for compensation for you.

So if theres no damage caused to my health then theres no claim? I feel the 3 years he has neglected my health is worth something. I am not a sprayer by trade i was put on the job and left on it as i was good from the off. So had no clue as to what paints etc i was using i just did as i was instructed.

Adam

You may well have a viable claim, but it is impossible to advise on the prospects without knowing what injuries/health problems you have suffered as a result.

The most likely damage/injury risk to you from using lead paint without the correct breathing apparatus will be respiratory diseases, but there is also a risk of more sinister illnesses such as cancers too. With this in mind, there is reasonable likelihood that you will be suffering from stress and anxiety of the worry of what potential injury or illness could materialise in the future. You should discuss any relevant aspect of psychological injury with your GP as they may be willing to provide assistance to you with this regard. Remember, you can claim compensation for psychological injuries as well as physical injury.

If there is no injury confirmed by a Doctor, it is unlikely that you will be able to pursue a claim against the employer. In that case, there is no damage or loss to claim against them for. Although they have placed you at risk and acted negligently, there is no avenue for compensation for such a situation. If you are not injured, but the employer has flouted Health & Safety law, you should report them to the Health and Safety Executive and they can face punishment or censure from them.

However, with the risk of an illness developing in the future as a result of your exposure to harmful substances like lead paints, it is worth remembering that you can still pursue a claim in the future. The claim limitation period rules that give you 3-years in which you can pursue a claim for compensation starts on the date of an accident, or in your case, on the date of diagnosis of an industrial injury/illness.

Please contact me when you have spoken to your GP and I’ll be able to offer you more precise advice.

I sew at work, I got moved to a different area where work was harder on my hands. I complained about pain so they gave me a glove, complained again so I got two gloves. 3 weeks ago I had to put in an accident report cause i had pain in my hand and wrist that hurt to put more pressure on it. This is all after complaining several times to management, leads, and supervisor that I was in pain and having problems with this new work. Today hurt my same hand and decided to go to the doctor. The manager filling out my paperwork gave me grief, let me know my hour pay would be cut down if I got light duty and acted as if I faked the whole thing. Doctor gave me 3 days of light duty, prescription and said I needed to wear a brace and especially wear for sleeping. I’m doing so much suffering from this when I have tried informing so many times of pain and problems, now will lose salary and have pain in my hand, anything I can do?

Hi, I am sorry to hear that your work is causing you pain, discomfort and an injury that has lead you to needing to see your GP. It is good that you have reported these problems to your employer and helpful that an accident report has been made as this could help in any future claim should one proceed.

Whether or not you can claim compensation will depend on varying factors, such as the nature of the job and the training (or lack of) provided by your employer. I would very much like to speak with you to discuss this as a few minutes on the phone with you will enable us to properly assess your claim prospects.

I have been working on site sanding lead paint off windows with no extraction, little ventilation, no over clothes and have had to buy a more suitable dust mask than my employer provides. Due to this I now have lead poisoning and my levels are close to being suspended from work.

It could well be that tour employer has breached their health and safety responsibilities in this case and exposed you to a hazard that was avoidable.

We’d like to put your claim to our specialist Solicitors and let them investigate this for you. Please call us on 01225430285 so that we can discuss this with you in greater detail.

I started noticing a heavy smell of paint in my work station, asked my team leader for a mask to reduce the fumes i was inhaling he gave me a look as if i was crazy and said ok. Then 20 minutes goes by, no mask, yet here he is talking with someone down the line laughing with this person both staring at me. Then 15 more minutes went by i tilted my head up to look at a scan in light and blacked out, came to and my knees were cut open. I stood up and headed for the door for fresh air, i get screamed at what are you doing then i responded with ‘i quit’. Do i have a case or this is all my fault?

Yes they perform painting duties inside the factory every so often. They don’t have a single air vent to vent out any fumes so when they paint the fumes build up with no possible way for the fumes to escape. I asked for a protective mask and he ignored my well-being after i stated can you get me a mask these paint fumes are starting to get to me.

I felt really unsafe and wanted outside for air, i don’t believe i was in a full state of mind when i said i quit because i have been inhaling paint fumes for 40 minutes but it was my response. I know i shouldn’t have but i wasn’t fully coherent and made a bad decision not being in the state of mind i was in. I reported everything to unemployment insurance about the reason why i quit, told them i have pictures of my injuries apparently their investigating but i know nothing will be done and i’ll be denied. I never received a call from the company the following day to discuss this matter like any other company would of done.

If I understand your comment correctly, you quit your job and walked away as a result of this incident and the employers lack of assistance to you. If this is the case, it will not have any relevance to the outcome of a claim for personal injury compensation if you chose to pursue one. Indeed, the only small issue would be that you would not be able to claim any loss of income relating to this accident/incident as you terminated your employment rather than being unable to work due to ill health.

On the basis of your comment, I would be of the view that you have a claim worthy of further pursuit as there is definitely an argument to be made relating to employer negligence here. When working with substances hazardous to health, employers must ensure that all workers are provided with the correct personal protective equipment (PPE). In such cases, it is important that the employer follow (and makes sure all staff are aware of and understand) regulations in terms of control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH). In your case, this would relate to the possible effects of inhaling noxious chemical fumes from the paint that you were working with. I assume that you work in a paint shop environment, perhaps as a sprayer? Or in a workplace with such a function being performed. In such a working environment, there should be industrial strength extractor fans and all staff should be wearing protective masks that filter out hazardous chemicals. If your employer fails to provide such a requirement, they are likely to be in breach of health and safety at work regulations. If this is the case, they are therefore likely to be forced to admit liability if any claim for compensation is made as a result of an injury caused in the workplace due to such breaches.

I hope that this information is of help to you. Please feel free to contact me by email should you have any further queries or if you wish us to help you pursue a claim for compensation against your employer. Alternatively, you can call us on 01225430285.

I recently had an accident at work. I am a police officer and was chasing a burglar when I slipped on mud. As I am a dog handler, I was trying to control the dog with one hand and holding a torch in the other. The dog pulled me as I tried to correct the fall and caused me to rupture my quad resulting in an operation and 6 months off work. I had to cancel two ski holidays and have had my pay docked as I was not able to look after the dogs during my sick leave. After the accident my employer has issued head torches as this was thought to be a contributing factor. Do I have a claim?

In all honesty, I am not sure as to whether or not you will be able to succeed with a claim, but I feel that the actions of your employer in terms of providing head torches to try and prevent a repeat of this incident gives you some grounds to warrant pursuit of compensation. It is clear that the employer has realised that asking you to hold a torch in one hand whilst controlling your police dog in the other presents a greater risk to your safety than having a head mounted torch and a free hand for balance and grip. This could give you grounds for success.

I think the best course of action would be to contact us so that we can take some further details and then get one of our specialist solicitors to discuss this with you.