Freezing & non-freezing cold injury compensation claims

The difference between freezing and non-freezing cold injuries is the temperature the injury occurred in. 

So, the difference between whether the temperature was above or below freezing but also for non-freezing cold injuries the amount of time of exposure to the cold is significant. Here, for hours or even days, your core temperature is not at its normal level but is lower than this. This means that blood flow reduces to your extremities such as your hands and feet and then these areas as a result have less oxygen.  

Another main difference is that non-freezing cold injuries are not limited to only your hands and feet.

The symptoms of cold injuries are wide and varied. They include:

• increased sensitivity to the cold
• pain
• numbing of the area
• swelling in the area
• paresthesia
• blisters on hands or feet
• a feeling that the area is burning
• itching in the affected area
• yellow appearance
• excessive sweating

Cold injuries can cause tissue damage and long-term damage. The common injuries for cold injuries are reflected in the name of the cold injury. A common non-freezing cold injury is trench foot, while a common freezing cold injury is frostnip and frostbite. Hypothermia is also a common cold injury. 

Freezing cold injuries occur when the air temperature is below the freezing point. 

Non-freezing cold injuries can occur when you're in wet conditions and the ambient air temperature is only a little above freezing, however such injuries can still occur when the temperatures are anything up to 15c. This is because you can be exposed to the cold for a long time. You may also be still for long periods when in the cold and then you have not dried or warmed your hand or feet up enough.

Cold injuries may occur, for example, if you work in the military and this can happen both while fighting or training to fight. They can also commonly occur for those who are:

• fisherman
• farmers
• butchers
• meat processors

 The reasons non-freezing injury  may occur can be because:

• you are exhausted
• your food intake is poor and you are dehydrated
• of wetness

Cold injuries unfortunately carry long-term risks, particularly when they are not identified and treated immediately. In some cases they can unfortunately be irreversible.

For example, they can cause the inability to continue with your job due to not being able to move the area as well as you could beforehand. They can even lead to amputation in the most serious instances.

Your employer has responsibilities towards you if you work in a cold environment where the risk of a cold injury is high. For example, they should:

• ensure you have the right clothing and equipment to carry out your job safely such as boots, socks and gloves
• have the ability to recognise a cold injury and therefore, carry out the right treatments immediately if you have one
• try and ensure you face cold and wet conditions at work as little as possible
• allow you enough time to dry your body and warm it up

If you suffer a cold injury at work you should seek immediate medical attention. You should do this even if you are not sure if it is a cold injury. This is because the effects, if not immediately treated, can be irreversible.

As with any accident at work, also ensure:

• the injury is recorded in an accident book
• you tell your manager
• you get witness details
• you take photos of the circumstances.

You may be able to make a freezing or non-freezing cold injury claim when your employer was at fault. This is if they didn't carry out their legal duty to keep you well and safe at work so could have prevented the cold injury. Cold injuries are often preventable so your employer should ensure these do not occur. 

Whatever type of personal injury claim you make, you must gather evidence to help your claim. You should get, for example:

• witness statements
• photos of your injury
• photos of the area

A key question you are likely to want to ask is how much you can claim for a cold injury at work. The amount of personal injury compensation you might get depends on, for example:

• how bad your cold injury is
• the amount of earnings lost
• the pension amount lost
• the time it takes you to recover from your cold injury
• how your cold injury affects your everyday life
• the care you need as a result of  your cold injury
• changes you have had to make to your everyday life
• any medical expenses you have had to fork out.

If you have suffered a cold injury at work and are able to make a compensation claim, with National Accident Helpline, you may be able to do this on a no win no fee basis. No win no fee takes all the risk away from you when you make an injury and accident claim. This is because there will be no up front fees.

With National Accident Helpline, beginning the compensation claims process couldn't be easier. All you need to do is simply give us a call or start the process online here.  The first step is a friendly and caring chat with one of our advisors to tell them all about how your cold injury occurred. Then, they will pass this on to one of our personal injury solicitors to complete your claim. At National Accident Helpline, we make sure that your claim process is as easy as possible.

You may be owed personal injury compensation for your cold injury at work, so call us now on . If you prefer, you can always request a call back here or start your claim online. If you are curious about how much compensation you may be able to get, then calculate your potential compensation online by using our compensation calculator.