Have You Suffered from a Burn or Scald Injury at Work? Here are the Top Facts You Need to Know
Burns and scalds are no joke. In fact, they are a serious matter – more than 13,000 people in the UK are hospitalized because of burns and scalds each year, and most of these wounds and conditions could actually be avoided. Still many more incidents of burning or scalding happen throughout the year without them becoming an official statistic, so we have no idea of how serious the problem actually is. Here’s something important to remember: if you are or have been a victim of burning or scalding at work, through no fault of your own, you may have right to compensation. Have you suffered from a burn or scald injury at work? Here are the top facts you should know.
Burn or scald?
There’s a difference between a burn and a scald. A burn comes from direct contact with extreme heat, such as a source of fire, an electrical wire, a chemical or even extreme cold. A scald comes from contact with a source of wet heat, such as hot water or steam. Regardless of whether they are burns or scalds, however, it can be very painful and can have lasting consequences.
Common causes
We are all familiar with the common causes of burns and scalds, such as the sun (sunburn), the stove (when cooking), hot objects (such as the iron), steam from the kettle, and so on. However, there are many other causes people often ignore or do not think about, such as:
- Friction (burns due to road accidents, heat caused by intense rubbing)
- Chemicals (burns caused by chemicals that cause the skin and human tissue to deteriorate with the combination of oxygen)
- Electricity (burns caused by high intense electrical current that causes enormous heat)
Common accidents
Following are some of the common accidents that cause burns:
- Road accidents (fire, friction)
- Work accidents (fire, friction, electrical, chemical)
- Slips and trips (friction)
- Shops or schools (chemicals)
Compensation claims
In order to make burn claims for compensation, it’s important for you to seek specialist advice as soon as possible, to establish the legal liability and the extent of the damage.
Here’s something that is very important to understand: no incident, no matter how major or minor, should be left unreported – unreported accidents or incidents will only make it worse and will put other people at risk. Most incidents can be avoided, so you have the duty to take the right course of action simply to avoid future incidents. And if you have been a victim through no fault of your own, never be afraid to seek legal help – the law is there to protect you, after all. Burns and scalds happen far too often for them to be neglected.