This week's topic is about the industrial injuries scheme, which covers accidents at work and industrial prescribed diseases, specifically non-infective dermatitis.

IS EVERYBODY COVERED?

If you are an employee and suffer from an accident at work after 4/7/48, or you suffer from an industrial disease, (although many were not registered until later than this date) you may be covered by the scheme. You must have been working for an employer. However it does not matter if you were earning enough to pay tax or National Insurance, you are still covered.

ACTION AFTER AN ACCIDENT

As soon as you can. After an accident at work report it to your employer. By law if there are more than 10 people working there must be one kept. It does not matter how trivial you think the accident is. A pain in the stomach for example may become a hernia. If in any doubt register the accident anyway. If you have to take time off as a result of the accident claim benefit right away.

NON-INFECTIVE DERMATITIS

Sometimes known as contact dermatitis or housewife's eczema. Quite wrongly, non-infective dermatitis is described by the DSS as non-infective dermatitis of external origin, excluding dermatitis due to ionising particles of electro-magnetic radiation heat. The occupations accepted by the DSS as likely to cause the disease are described as exposure to dust, liquid or vapour or any external agent except chromic acid, chromates or BI Chromates capable of irritating the skin (including friction or heat but excluding ionising particles or electromagnetic radiations other than radiant heat). Signs and symptoms include itching, (sometimes) slight redness, cracks and fissure in the skin and bright red weeping areas in severe cases.

MEDICATION

The doctor may prescribe topical creams, ointments or lotions. These may include steroid preparations to reduce the inflammation or lubricants to preserve moisture.

DSS ADVICE

There are at present 67 different registered industrial diseases. The onus is firmly on you to claim for an industrial disease, so if you believe that any condition you have may be work related then ask the DSS and your doctor for advice. If you ask the DSS, get their response in writing as the rules on backdating have been changed so you will lose money.

ADVICE

I suggest you read DSS leaflet N12 to get a full list of the occupations. Only if you have the condition and have worked in one of the jobs described will you be able to make a successful claim but that is only the start, and it is clearly a minefield to tread through. It is important to take advice as soon as you possibly can. Make sure that who you contact is an expert in the type of problem that you have. Do not allow people to practice on your case as there may be a lot of money to lose.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.