Occupational dermatitis is one of the most common - and most under-claimed - work-related health conditions in the UK. The HSE estimates around 23,000 cases of work-related skin disease a year, with hairdressers, cleaners, healthcare workers, food handlers, engineers and construction workers all heavily affected. If your skin condition started or has been made worse by work, and your employer didn't take the steps the law requires to protect you, you can claim compensation.
Occupational dermatitis is one of the most common - and most under-claimed - work-related health conditions in the UK. The HSE estimates around 23,000 cases of work-related skin disease a year, with hairdressers, cleaners, healthcare workers, food handlers, engineers and construction workers all heavily affected. If your skin condition started or has been made worse by work, and your employer didn't take the steps the law requires to protect you, you can claim compensation.
This page explains how UK occupational dermatitis claims work: the difference between irritant and allergic dermatitis (it matters for the claim), the COSHH 2002 framework that governs your employer's duties, how patch-testing evidences causation, the typical compensation ranges, and - importantly - why making a claim doesn't put your job at risk.
What is occupational dermatitis?
Occupational dermatitis is inflammation of the skin caused or made worse by something at work - most commonly the hands, wrists and forearms. The classic symptoms are:
- Redness, itching, dry patches.
Two main types of work-related dermatitis are recognised, and the difference matters legally:
Irritant contact dermatitis
The skin's barrier is damaged by repeated exposure to substances that strip natural oils or dry the skin - water, detergents, soaps, solvents, mild acids and alkalis. Develops over weeks to months of exposure. Anyone exposed enough will eventually develop it (it's about cumulative damage, not allergy). The most common form by a wide margin.
Allergic contact dermatitis
An immune-system reaction to a specific allergen - nickel, chromates, rubber accelerators, preservatives, hair dye chemicals, latex, certain plants. Once you're sensitised, even tiny exposures cause a reaction. Often diagnosed by patch testing. Some allergens (PPD in hair dye, chromates in cement) are well-recognised occupational sensitisers.
Many sufferers have a mixed picture - irritant dermatitis that has become complicated by allergic sensitisation. The medical-legal expert distinguishes the components and apportions causation accordingly.
Industries and trades most affected
Occupational dermatitis is heavily concentrated in 'wet work', cleaning, food prep, healthcare and certain skilled trades. The HSE consistently identifies the following as high-risk:
- Hairdressing and beauty - exposure to shampoos, hair colours (especially PPD-based), perming chemicals, prolonged wet work.
If you've spent significant time in any of these jobs and have ongoing hand or forearm skin problems, speaking to a specialist is worthwhile.
What your employer was required to do - COSHH 2002
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) make hazardous substances (including those that cause occupational dermatitis) a specific employer responsibility. Under COSHH and the broader Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the employer must:
- Assess the risk - identify substances that may cause harm and the workers exposed to them.
Failure on any of these points supports the breach-of-duty element of a claim. The most common failings: lack of skin checks, no provision of suitable gloves, lack of training on hand-care, lack of substitution where safer alternatives existed.
How occupational dermatitis is diagnosed and proved
A claim needs medical evidence. The chain of evidence usually involves:
- GP records - the date the condition first presented, treatments tried.
How much compensation could you receive?
Every dermatitis claim is built from general damages (for the condition) and special damages (financial losses). Representative general-damages ranges under the JCG 17th edition for dermatitis of the hands:
- Dermatitis of both hands, persistent and irritated, problems lasting indefinitely: ~£14,990 - £21,170
Special damages typically include:
- Loss of earnings - time off work, reduced hours, loss of overtime.
Total settlements vary widely. Mild, recovering cases often settle for £2,000-£8,000. Persistent two-hand dermatitis with ongoing impact reaches £15,000-£30,000. Severe cases that ended a hairdressing or healthcare career - with substantial loss-of-earnings claims - can reach £50,000-£100,000+. For the broader compensation framework see how much compensation.
Will I lose my job if I claim?
No. Section 104 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 makes it automatically unfair to dismiss an employee for asserting a statutory right - and that includes bringing a personal injury claim against the employer. An employer that retaliated would face an Employment Tribunal claim on top of the civil claim.
In practice, the claim is defended by your employer's Employer's Liability insurer, not by the employer personally. The financial impact is on the insurance policy, not the company P&L. Many claimants continue working in the same role (with adjusted duties or PPE) throughout the claim and after settlement.
Where the dermatitis is severe enough that you cannot continue in the same role, your claim properly captures the loss-of-earnings impact - and your employment rights (reasonable adjustments, redeployment, occupational health) operate independently of the civil claim.
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - Prescribed Disease D5
Occupational dermatitis is a Prescribed Disease (D5) under the IIDB scheme. Eligibility usually requires:
- Having been in qualifying employed earner work involving exposure to known irritants or allergens.
IIDB is paid weekly, not means-tested, and runs alongside any civil damages claim.
Time limits for dermatitis claims
Three years from the 'date of knowledge' under section 14 of the Limitation Act 1980 - usually the date a GP or dermatologist first told you that the condition was work-related. Because dermatitis often develops gradually, the 'date of knowledge' rule is important: many claimants have years of exposure but a recent date of knowledge. See time limits.
Who is the claim against?
Almost always your employer (or former employer), via their Employer's Liability insurer. Where you've worked for several employers in a high-risk trade, claims may be made against more than one - the medico-legal expert apportions contribution between them where appropriate (similar to the divisible-disease analysis in industrial deafness and HAVS claims).
If your former employer has dissolved, the claim still proceeds against the EL insurer traced via the Employer's Liability Tracing Office. See the broader industrial disease guide.
How is it funded? No win, no fee
Every dermatitis claim we handle runs on a Conditional Fee Agreement. No upfront fees, no hourly bills. If the claim wins, the success fee is capped at 25% of general damages and past losses. If it fails, you pay nothing (subject to CFA and ATE terms). Full detail in no win no fee explained.
The dermatitis claim process
- Free eligibility call. Specialist takes work history, symptoms, and medical history; checks the time-limit position.
Typical timescale: 12-18 months for moderate cases. Longer for cases involving multiple employers or significant loss-of-earnings disputes.
