If your personal protective equipment (PPE) is the wrong size, you can experience an injury at work. It’s the responsibility of your employer to provide you with the protective equipment that you need to do your role safely. If they give you PPE that is the wrong size, and you’re injured as a result, you may be able to claim.
PPE was the wrong size injury
Please contact us today if you were injured at work because of unsuitable PPE. If we can see that you are eligible to claim compensation, we can connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor to handle your case. Our solicitors have experience handling accident at work claims.
Contact Legal Expert using the details below:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804 for your free consultation
- Use our Web Chat feature to speak to an advisor online
- To see if you can start your claim online, message us via our website
Select A Section
- When Should PPE Be Used?
- Employers’ Duty To Provide The Correct Personal Protective Equipment
- How Could PPE Being The Wrong Size Cause Injuries?
- Injuries Which Could Be Caused By PPE Being The Wrong Size
- How Much Could You Claim PPE-Related Injuries?
- How To Claim If Harmed By PPE That Was The Wrong Size
When Should PPE Be Used?
If your PPE was the wrong size, and this caused you to be injured, you might be eligible to claim compensation. However, your ill-fitting PPE would need to be the result of your employer’s negligence. If it was caused by your own actions, for example, because you gave them the incorrect measurements and failed to tell them that it did not fit, then you’d be unlikely to be able to claim.
PPE is clothing or other wearable equipment used to shield workers against health and safety hazards in the workplace. For example, lab technicians working with corrosive chemicals may require goggles, a face shield, and protective gloves. If their employer provides the workers with inadequate PPE, the technicians could suffer chemical burns or other injuries.
Here are some examples of PPE that a workplace may provide:
- Protective boots
- Hard has
- Gloves
- Goggles
- Visors
- Earplugs
Employer’s Duty To Provide The Correct Personal Protective Equipment
Under the Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022, employers must provide their workers with adequate PPE. If employers give their workers PPE that is the wrong size, they are failing in the responsibility to keep their employees safe.
Moreover, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers owe their workers a duty of care. A duty of care means the employer is responsible for a worker’s health, safety and welfare when at work.
If an employer acts negligently and causes an accident at work, this breaches their duty of care. Therefore, an employer could be held liable for a worker’s injuries if they provided them with PPE that was not fit for purpose and this negligence led to the worker being injured.
For more information on making a claim, speak with an advisor today. You could be connected with a No Win No Fee solicitor to work on your claim.
How Could PPE Being The Wrong Size Cause Injuries?
Personal protective equipment (PPE) serves a number of different purposes. Therefore, it can result in a number of different injuries if it’s not fit for its purpose.
Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) can be hazardous if it is ill-fitting. This is because harmful fumes or substances could enter the respirator and harm you.
Moreover, workers may need safety boots or other protective footwear to carry out their jobs. For example, construction workers need safety boots to protect them, if they stand on a sharp object or a heavy object drops on their foot.
If a worker is provided with safety boots that are too small, they will not be able to wear them. They may suffer crushed toes or an impalement injury because they had no safety shoes.
For more information on what to do if PPE in the wrong size caused you to be injured, speak with an advisor today.
Injuries Which Could Be Caused By PPE Being The Wrong Size
If your PPE is the wrong size, this negligence could cause a workplace injury. Let’s look at some examples of work-related injuries that ill or poorly fitting PPE can cause.
- Head injuries if a helmet does not fit.
- Chemical burns to the eye caused by a lack of safety goggles.
- Chemical burns to the hand if a worker has ill-fitting safety gloves.
- A worker can breathe in poisonous fumes if their respirator does not fit. Therefore they may suffer lung damage.
- Noise-related hearing loss (NRHL) if the worker has ear muffs or ear plugs that don’t fit properly.
These are just some examples of work-related injuries that can happen if your employer neglects their duty of care relating to PPE. If you were injured at work, please call us today to see if you can claim compensation.
How Much Could You Claim For PPE-Related Injuries?
You can potentially receive these heads of claim if you make a successful personal injury claim. These are:
- General damages will compensate you for the physical and mental harm your injury at work caused.
- Special damages can compensate you for the out-of-pocket expenses your injuries caused. You will need to prove these expenses, such as travel costs or loss of earnings, were necessary.
You may be eligible to claim compensation if you were injured because your PPE was the wrong size. You can look at our compensation table below to estimate how much compensation you can receive in general damages (special damages are not included).
| Injury | Bracket | Damages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye injuries | (E) Complete loss of sight – one eye | £49,270 to £54,830 | If there is also scarring around the eye (which is not serious enough to get a separate award) the award could hit the upper end of the bracket. |
| Eye injuries | (F) Loss of sight in one eye | £23,680 to £39,340 | Loss of sight is serious but is incomplete. There is no significant risk to the other eye. |
| Scarring to other parts of the body | £2,370 to £7,830 | Several superficial scars, or a single scar which is noticeable, affecting the arms, hands, or legs. | |
| Toe injuries | (B) Amputation of the great toe | In the region of £31,310 | Amputation/loss of the big toe. |
| Toe injuries | (D) Serious toe injuries | £9,600 to £13,740 | Serious injuries to the toe(s) such as crush injuries, multiple fractures to two or more toes or other serious forms of injury. . |
| Chest injuries | (E) | £5,320 to £12,590 | Inhalation of smoke or toxic fumes where some residual damage has been left. This is not serious enough to leave the person with permanent lung damage. |
| Chest injuries | (F) | £2,190 to £5,320 | Injuries to the chest which cause collapsed lungs. A full and uncomplicated recovery is made. |
| Tinnitus and/ or partial hearing loss | Severe (i) | £29,710 to £45,540 | Cases of severe tinnitus and noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). |
| Tinnitus and/ or partial hearing loss | Severe (ii) | £14,900 to £29,710 | Cases of moderate tinnitus and noise induced hearing loss. Or, cases of either severe NIHL / tinnitus alone. |
| Injuries affecting taste and smell | (A) Total loss | In the region of £39,170 | Cases of the total loss of the senses of smell and taste. |
The compensation amounts in the table are based on 16th edition of the Judicial College guidelines, updated for 2022. This is a publication that legal professionals use to help them value injuries.
However, the compensation amounts in the table are advisory and not guarantees. Please call us today, and we can offer you a personalised estimate of how much you can claim.
How To Claim If Harmed By PPE That Was The Wrong Size
You may be eligible to claim compensation if you were injured because your PPE was the wrong size and this was because your employer was negligent. If you have a valid claim, Legal Expert can help you. We can provide you with a skilled lawyer to handle your claim and get you the compensation you deserve.
We will consider handling your claim on a No Win No Fee basis if it has a good chance of success. If you make a No Win No Fee claim, you will enjoy the following benefits:
- Firstly, you will not have to pay a solicitors fee before our legal team begins work on your claim or sa they’re doing so.
- Secondly, you will pay a success fee if your claim is a success. This is subject to a legal limit, meaning that you always get the majority of your settlement amount.
- If the claim is not a success, there’s no requirement for you to pay your solicitor for their services.
To see if you can start your compensation claims process, please get in touch with us today:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804 for your free consultation
- Use our Web Chat feature to speak to an advisor online
- To see if you can start your claim online, message us via our website
Related PPE Compensation Claims
If you would like to claim compensation for a work injury, please read our online guides to learn more.
Defective Work Equipment Injury Claims- How Much Compensation?
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For An Accident On a Building Site?
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For A Warehouse Injury?
An NHS guide on chemical burns
An HSE guide on how to manage risk using PPE
A guide from the government on claiming statutory sick pay (SSP)
We appreciate you taking the time to read our guide to claiming compensation for injuries caused by PPE that was the wrong size.
Written by Chelache
Edited by Stocks
