If you are unable to work because of burns you may be able to make a TPD claim for a lump sum from the Total & Permanent Disablement insurance contained within your superannuation fund. There is no necessity for you to have been involved in an accident or to have suffered a work related injury to make a TPD claim. If you suffer from total and permanent disability, you may be able to make a TPD claim in addition to receiving your super early as a result of your condition. Our solicitors can advise you in detail as to the requirements of a successful submission, they will prepare all relevant paperwork and will obtain full supporting documentation. Our lawyers will give you free advice on the likely success of your claim to a super fund, without further obligation. It costs nothing to use our free advice service.

Our TPD claim solicitors use a risk free no win no fee arrangement.

We have offices situated in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Darwin.

Burns - TPD

Burns can be thermal burns, chemical burns or abrasive burns. Chemical burns can happen at a workplace or can happen at home. Thermal burns can happen anywhere and come from touching or coming in contact with hot objects. Abrasive burns are also called “rug burns” or “road rash” and come from ripping off the skin by means of an abrasive object.

Almost all burns are painful to some degree but surprisingly, the most severe burns hurt the least. A first degree burn is a burn through the outer layer of the skin. It can happen from sun damage or touching a hot object. The skin is red, warm and painful but there are no blisters.

A second degree burn consists of blisters that are a part of the burn. The blisters are very painful and the pain is worse when the blisters are removed. The possibility of infection occurs when the blisters are punctured. Second degree burns occur when the outer layer of the skin is burned and separates from the middle layers of the skin. The middle layer of the skin is called the dermis. If the burn is less than 3 inches in diameter, you can treat it at home. If it is a complex burn of the hand, face or genitals, you need to treat the burn as a severe burn and get medical aid immediately.

Third degree burns go through the full thickness of the skin. The burn looks brown, white, yellow or a deep green. It can form a firm area on the affected area so you can tap on it and feel a clunk when you tap on it. It must be treated by a doctor, who will likely remove the hard part of the tissue and do a skin grafting procedure.

When treating the burn, you need to cool it with a cool cloth. Remove carefully anything that is heating up the skin, such as burning oil. Cooling the burn makes it feel better and reduces the swelling around the burn. It conducts heat away from the burn so it doesn’t burn any further. You can do this for as long as it still helps the burn feel better. Cover the burn with sterile gauze and use a water soluble burn cream if you have it. Don’t use fluffy cotton that might get lint in the burn. Wrap any gauze you put around the burn very loosely so you don’t put too much pressure on the burned skin. You want as much air on the burn as possible.

Use an over the counter medication like Tylenol, naproxen or ibuprofen to ease the pain. If you see a doctor, he or she might prescribe for you some codeine or hydrocodone-containing medications for stronger pain relief.

If you have a minor burn, you should have healing without difficulty in one to two weeks. There may be residual pigment changes that last for a longer period of time. If you get oozing, redness, swelling or pus, you should see the doctor and get on some kind of topical and/or oral antibiotics. Once it heals, you should use sunscreen on the affected area for at least a year following the burn.

There are several things you should not do to burns. You should not put ice directly on the burn as it will cause further burns of the affected area. Do not put butter on a wound. Ointments can only put more heat into the wound. You shouldn’t break blisters as these can cause an infection if opened.

For major burns, you should not remove burned clothing unless it is on fire. Don’t put large amounts of the body in cold water as the person can get hypothermia from cold exposure. Make sure there are no respiratory problems from the burn and administer oxygen if available. Elevate the burned body parts so as to keep down swelling. Burns lose a lot of water in them so make sure the patient is hydrated by IV fluids or oral fluids, if the wound is more minor. Always make sure you get a tetanus shot if you are burned as tetanus can occur with burn exposures just the same as with cuts and lacerations.

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