A Guide To Claiming For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At Work

By Cat Way. Last Updated 11th June 2024. In this guide, we will examine carbon monoxide poisoning at work. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be potentially lethal. If you have been made ill by exposure at work caused by your employer breaching their duty of care, you could be owed personal injury compensation.

Our aim is to make a carbon monoxide poisoning at work compensation claim more straightforward with the right advice. At Legal Expert, our advisors are on hand to answer your questions right now. You can start straight away by:

• Calling our team on 0800 073 8804
• Emailing us at Legal Expert
• Using the ‘live support’ portal to the bottom right of this screen for instant help

Select A Section

1. 1. What Is Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At Work?
   2. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms
   3. Causes Of Exposure To Carbon Monoxide At Work
   4. Steps Employers Could Take To Prevent Exposure To Carbon Monoxide
   5. What Professions Are More At Risk Of Carbon Monoxide Exposure?
   6. Calculate Compensation For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At Work
   7. No Win No Fee Compensation Claims For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At Work
   8. Essential References

What Is Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At Work?

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning happens when carbon monoxide accidentally leaks from a gas appliance in the workplace or home. Carbon monoxide is produced when fuel like coal, wood, gas or oil doesn’t burn fully.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 is the legislation that outlines what employers need to do to manage the risk of carbon monoxide in the workplace. If carbon monoxide poisoning is a potential danger to employees, employers are legally required to ensure that all steps are being taken to limit risk as much as possible.

You can get in touch with our team today for more information about claiming for harm caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. Otherwise, read on to find out more about how this could affect you.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms

Carbon monoxide poisoning at work can be difficult to spot, particularly if you have only been exposed to low levels. You might experience:

• A tension headache
• Dizziness
• Feeling tired or confused
• Stomach pain
• Difficulty breathing

If you’re exposed to low levels of carbon monoxide in the long term, this can cause you to have trouble concentrating or experience frequent emotional changes. High levels of carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to symptoms like:

• An impaired mental state
• Vertigo
• Your physical co-ordination being impacted
• Chest pain
• Breathlessness
• Muscle spasms
• Loss of consciousness.

If you’re exposed to very high levels of carbon monoxide, this could be fatal. For more information on the effects that carbon monoxide poisoning can have, please read on.

Causes Of Exposure To Carbon Monoxide At Work

There are a number of ways that your employer’s negligence could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning at work. For example:

• Poor or incorrect installation of damaged gas boilers or central heating systems
• Car exhausts
• Lack of adequate or correct ventilation
• Burning carbon-based fuels in poorly ventilated spaces;
• Blocked chimneys
• Certain aerosols and paint fumes

Some of these will only be relevant to certain industries. For example, you’re unlikely to be exposed to carbon monoxide at work from a car exhaust if you don’t utilise workplace vehicles as part of your job.

Others, however, could affect a wide range of workplaces. For instance, you may work in an industry that does not put you at risk of being exposed to carbon monoxide through your actual job role, but you could work in an office where a boiler has been incorrectly installed which releases CO.

Our team can help you if you’ve been harmed by carbon monoxide exposure as a result of your employer’s negligence. Speak to us today for more free legal advice.

Steps Employers Could Take To Prevent Exposure To Carbon Monoxide

Employers can and should take a number of steps to ensure that their employees and premises are as safeguarded against carbon-monoxide risks as possible. This could include:

• Make sure that only a registered Gas Safe engineer installs and fixes gas appliances
• Use carbon monoxide monitors
• If it’s an option, change from using gas-powered equipment to equipment that uses electricity or batteries
• Make sure that gas-powered equipment is not used in confined or poorly ventilated areas
• Test air regularly where CO might be present
• Make sure that employees are aware of the risks

Assessing and controlling risks

Your employer has a duty of care towards you. This is outlined in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

As part of this duty of care, your employer is expected to assess any risks to you and take reasonable steps to remove them. If the risks cannot be removed, then they should be reduced as much as is possible.

This includes the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. If your employer has failed to carry out a risk assessment or has failed to act on the results, then they could be considered negligent. As a result, you may be able to claim.

What Professions Are More At Risk Of Carbon Monoxide Exposure?

Some professions are more liable to be in scenarios that expose them to carbon monoxide poisoning at work than others. These include:

• Welders
• Vehicle mechanics
• Gas engineers
• Firefighters
• Police
• Emergency first responders
• Forklift operators

As we have already mentioned, proximity to burning carbon fuels is a risk anywhere that has central heating or gas-fired heating systems. If you suspect that you have been exposed to carbon monoxide, then it’s important that you seek medical attention. You could claim if you can show that your exposure happened because your employer was negligent.

Calculate Compensation For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At Work

You might be wondering what the average payout for carbon monoxide poisoning is. This figure can be hard to pinpoint because the amount of compensation you could receive depends on the unique circumstances surrounding your case.

Usually, personal injury compensation is made up of two heads. The first, general damages, is awarded to every successful claimant. This is because it covers the pain and suffering you’ve experienced as a result of the carbon monoxide poisoning.

When this heading is calculated, the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) can be used to help. The JCG contains a number of guideline compensation brackets. You can see some examples of these brackets in the table below, but please keep in mind that the first entry has not been taken from the JCG.

Can I Claim Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Compensation For Financial Losses?

If you suffered financial losses, these can be included in your carbon monoxide poisoning compensation award. This head of claim, known as special damages, can help you recoup the cost of:

• Prescriptions
• Lost earnings
• Professional nursing care
• Childcare
• Help with housekeeping, like cooking and cleaning

To claim under this heading, you need to be able to prove your losses. This can be with done with documents such as payslips, bank statements and invoices.

To find out how one of our solicitors could help you with your carbon dioxide poisoning compensation claim, get in touch with our team today.

No Win No Fee Compensation Claims For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At Work

A No Win No Fee agreement can reduce the financial risk that usually comes with hiring a solicitor to work on your claim. It means that:

• You are not required to pay any money to secure your solicitor’s services upfront
• As the case moves ahead, there are still no fees to be paid
• If your case fails, there are no fees to pay the lawyers at all

If your lawyer secures your compensation, you will pay a “success fee” which will be deducted from your settlement award. This is legally capped to ensure that you always get the majority of your compensation.

Our solicitors all offer representation on a No Win No Fee basis. Get in touch today; if your claim has a good chance of success, you could be connected with one of our lawyers to take on your claim.

Start Your Claim

Thank you for reading our guide. We hope it has provided some useful information for making a carbon monoxide poisoning at work claim. If you feel ready to commence a claim right now, please get in touch by:

• Calling our team on 0800 073 8804
• Emailing us at Legal Expert
• Using the ‘live support’ portal to the bottom right of this screen for instant help
• It’s free, confidential and there’s no obligation to continue with any legal matter

Essential References

Below, we have included some links containing additional information that you might find useful:

• Find out more about the time limits that apply to claims for accidents at work.
• Do you get paid after an accident at work? Find out in this guide.
• Find out more about your employer’s responsibilities after an accident at work
• Gas safety from HSE
• The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
• If you’re wondering whether you can receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for time taken off work, this could help.

Other Guides Available To Read

• John Lewis Personal Injury Claims Guide
• DFDS Seaways Ferries Personal Injury Claims Guide
• Saga Cruise Ship Personal Injury Claims Guide
• How To Claim Compensation Against A Romanian Lorry/HGV Driver?
• I Slipped In A Co-op Supermarket – Can I Claim?
• £23,000 Compensation For A Broken 5th Metatarsal Injury
• Sports Direct Accident Claims Guide
• Allergic Reaction After Eating In Patisserie Valerie – Can I Claim?
• Allergic Reaction After Eating At Pizza Hut – Can I Claim?

Written by Waters

Edited by Stocks