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21st September 2007
During the course of her employment with the Trust, between 1980 and 2004, the woman was provided with powdered and non-powdered latex gloves to perform her dental duties.
In 2003 she noticed that her wrists had become uncomfortably itchy. She was referred for tests and then told in January 2004 by a doctor that her condition was latex related and that it was so serious that she could no longer safely work in a dental surgery.
“I was devastated at being told that I wouldn’t be able to work in the dentist surgery again,” said the woman. “I began working for the Health Service in 1974, straight from school. I loved my job and can’t believe that a latex allergy could cause so many problems, and not just at work.”
Caroline Bedale, UNISON Branch Secretary, said: “Latex products are a known danger to dental and other healthcare workers because they are at increased risk of latex allergy. This case demonstrates the critical importance of all employers having proper policies, not only to protect staff from developing latex allergy, but also for the safe handling of patients with known or suspected latex allergy.”
Andy Gill, UNISON Regional Officer, added: “Whilst pleased that this settlement has been reached, no-one should underestimate the impact on our member and the fact that she had to give up the job she loved since leaving school. We will always represent our members if they have been negligently harmed in the workplace in any way.”
Commenting, the woman’s representative at Thompsons Solicitors, Imogen Wetton, said: “The impact of a latex allergy causes no end of difficulties for sufferers. My client cannot wear jewellery with nickel in it, nor can she wear any clothes with metal zips. She has to avoid any rubber handled items and wear cork inner soles. She has to sleep with cotton gloves on and has to regularly apply steroid creams. She has to avoid washing up and ironing. She can’t even use the TV remote control as it has rubber buttons. The list goes on and on and it’s a living nightmare for sufferers.
“The Trust ought to have known by 1996 at the latest that the powdered latex gloves were a potential danger to users yet it was not until September 1998 that a memo was issued for the gloves to be changed to a non powdered alternative and only then when existing stocks were exhausted. There could and should have been alerts to the dangers and risks much earlier and they should have provided a non latex alternative.”
Damages were claimed for injury, past and future loss of earnings, loss of pension, prescriptions, care / services and expenses.
If you or someone you know believes that working conditions have caused you / them to develop a latex allergy or have made an existing condition worse, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.
There are strict time limits in place to make any injury claim. For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.
Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all personal injury matters. We will be able to advise you whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have. If you do have a valid personal injury compensation claim and you decide to instruct Thompsons Solicitors to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for you. Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online compensation claim forms.
