Roswell Custodian Claims: 2026 Skin Irritation Wins

Custodians in Roswell are around cleaning chemicals every day, it’s just part of the job. But when that routine exposure turns into a nasty skin irritation that won’t go away, filing a workers’ comp claim isn’t just an option, it’s a necessity. These cases are rarely straightforward because they require sorting through a lot of medical evidence while pushing back against employers who want to deny the claim, which makes getting compensated a real fight. Knowing how successful claims actually work, from the first sign of a rash to the final settlement, is the only way to get through this situation.

Case Study 1: Chronic Dermatitis from Bleach Exposure

In mid-2024, a 51-year-old custodian who worked for a big commercial cleaning company near the Roswell Town Center area started getting severe contact dermatitis. Her route involved cleaning several office buildings every day along Alpharetta Highway, where she regularly used industrial-strength cleaners, including a high-concentration bleach solution for sanitizing. Even though she wore the standard nitrile gloves her employer gave her, she started getting constant itching, redness, and painful cracks on her hands and forearms.

Circumstances and Initial Challenges

The custodian (we’ll call her Maria) at first just thought it was dry skin and used over-the-counter creams. But it kept getting worse, eventually turning into blisters and weeping sores. Her employer’s first reaction was to brush it off, suggesting she wasn’t using her personal protective equipment (PPE) right or that it was a personal health issue, not something work-related. That’s a classic move by employers trying to dodge a claim, and it’s exactly why you should call a lawyer early. Maria did report the injury to her supervisor as soon as the pain became unbearable, which was about three months after the symptoms started, but reporting it then was still critical for making a timely claim.

Medical Journey and Diagnosis

Maria went to her family doctor, who sent her to a dermatologist over at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital. The dermatologist did a full exam and ran patch tests which confirmed she had a severe allergic reaction to sodium hypochlorite (the main ingredient in bleach) and a few other cleaning chemicals. The diagnosis was clear: occupational contact dermatitis, which tied her condition directly to her job. The doctor prescribed powerful topical corticosteroids and oral antihistamines, and told her she had to completely avoid the chemicals that were causing the reaction. She couldn’t do her job anymore.

Legal Strategy and Outcome

Knowing the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation was a maze, Maria hired a law firm that specialized in these types of cases. Her lawyer immediately filed a Form WC-14, the official claim form, with the State Board. The legal team went to work, getting all the medical records, especially the dermatologist’s detailed reports and patch test results, to build an undeniable case that the job caused her skin condition. They also got statements from her coworkers who could confirm what chemicals were being used and that the company wasn’t always strict about PPE rules.

As expected, the employer’s insurance company denied the claim right away, arguing her condition was pre-existing or just not caused by her work. That’s just standard procedure for them. Maria’s lawyer fought back with expert testimony from the dermatologist, who explained that while she might have been sensitive, the constant, heavy exposure at work is what actually triggered her severe symptoms. The legal team also pointed out that the employer never offered safer chemicals or better protective gear even after she first complained.

After a few months of back-and-forth and with a hearing scheduled before an Administrative Law Judge, they reached a settlement. Maria got paid back for all her medical bills, including future dermatology appointments and prescriptions. She also got temporary total disability benefits for the six months she couldn’t work. The settlement also included a lump sum for permanent partial disability, recognizing that her skin was now permanently sensitive and she couldn’t take cleaning jobs in the future. Maria’s final settlement was between $45,000 and $60,000, a number that accounted for how bad the injury was and how long she was out of work.

Case Study 2: Acute Chemical Burns and Allergic Reaction

Here’s another situation: John, a 34-year-old custodian for a Fulton County school district, was working at a middle school near Holcomb Bridge Road and Alpharetta Street. In early 2025, he was mixing a concentrated floor stripping agent when it accidentally splashed all over his dominant hand and forearm. The chemical, a powerful alkaline solution, caused immediate burning, blistering, and incredible pain. He was following the safety rules, but the dispensing equipment was faulty and overflowed.

Immediate Aftermath and Employer Response

John ran his hand under cold water right away and told his supervisor what happened. They sent him to the emergency room at Northside Hospital Forsyth, where he was treated for second-degree chemical burns. The ER doctor wrote down the details of the injury and noted that it was directly caused by the chemical exposure at work. But over the next few days, John’s skin also broke out in an allergic rash around the burn, which showed he had a wider sensitivity than just the initial burn.

The school district’s workers’ comp carrier paid for the initial burn treatment but then started questioning the allergic reaction, hinting that it might not be related or that he was exaggerating. This is a common roadblock when an injury has more than one part, like a burn and a rash. Any custodian in Roswell dealing with skin problems from work chemicals needs to know their rights under Georgia’s workers’ comp law, especially if it’s keeping them from their job. A firm that knows this stuff, like Bader Law, gets the details of these cases and can help you get the benefits you’re owed for medical care and lost pay. They usually work on contingency, which just means you don’t pay them unless you win.

Expert Medical and Legal Intervention

John’s lawyers made sure he got to see both a burn specialist and an allergist. The allergist did more tests and confirmed he had a severe contact allergy to some of the ingredients in the floor stripper. Having this double diagnosis, chemical burns and allergic contact dermatitis, made his claim much harder to fight. The medical experts wrote detailed reports explaining why he needed specialized burn care, ongoing skin treatment, and physical therapy to get the full use of his hand back.

The lawyer’s strategy was simple: prove the splash caused the immediate burn and that the allergic reaction that followed was a direct result of that same workplace incident. They showed proof that the dispensing machine was broken and pointed to the employer’s duty to provide safe equipment under O.C.G.A. Section 34-9-1. That law is the rulebook for workers’ comp in Georgia, spelling out what employers have to do and what rights employees have.

Resolution and Compensation

Because the incident was so well-documented, the burns were so bad, and the medical evidence backed it all up, the insurance company eventually had to agree to a settlement. John got full coverage for all his medical treatment, including the ER visit, burn specialist, allergist, prescriptions, and months of physical therapy. He also got temporary total disability benefits for the four months he was out of work. The settlement included extra money for his permanent scars and the fact he now had an ongoing risk of allergic reactions, which meant he had to switch job duties to stay away from certain chemicals. In the end, John’s total compensation was in the $70,000 to $95,000 range, which covered the extensive medical care he needed and the permanent damage to his hand.

Case Study 3: Respiratory Sensitization and Skin Irritation

Our third case is Sarah, a 48-year-old custodian working for a contractor that serviced different businesses in the North Fulton industrial park area. For more than a year, Sarah was using industrial-grade disinfectants and degreasers every single day. She started getting not just rashes on her hands but also breathing problems like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath, especially when she was at work. Her skin was dry, red, and sometimes blistered on her hands and face, even though she was wearing gloves and safety glasses.

Delayed Diagnosis and Employer Resistance

Sarah went to her family doctor first, who just treated her for asthma. But her symptoms only got better when she was away from her job for a few days. The fact her symptoms cleared up away from work was a huge red flag pointing to her job. When she told her employer about it, they suggested it was just her pre-existing conditions and questioned if it was really related to the cleaning products, saying that nobody else had a problem with them. It’s a common way for employers to try and shift the blame.

Complete Medical Evaluation

Sarah’s lawyer sent her to the right specialists: a pulmonologist for her breathing and an occupational dermatologist for her skin. The pulmonologist did spirometry and a methacholine challenge test and diagnosed her with occupational asthma, directly connecting her breathing problems to the chemicals she was inhaling at work. The dermatologist did patch testing and confirmed she had contact dermatitis from several chemicals, including quaternary ammonium compounds (or “quats”) that are in a lot of disinfectants. With both breathing and skin problems, her claim was suddenly much stronger.

Litigation and Favorable Resolution

The legal team filed a workers’ comp claim that stressed both her skin and breathing injuries. They collected a ton of paperwork, including the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for every chemical she used, which listed the known skin and respiratory dangers. Getting both the lung doctor and the skin doctor to testify was the key. They explained exactly how the chemicals she was breathing and touching caused both her asthma and her dermatitis. They also showed that the employer didn’t provide good ventilation or any specialized breathing protection, even after she told them she was having problems.

The insurance company fought it hard, claiming her asthma was from something else and her skin rash wasn’t a big deal. But they couldn’t argue with the pile of medical evidence proving the workplace was the cause. After a long legal fight that included a mediation session with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, they finally agreed on a settlement. Sarah was compensated for all her past and future medical care for both her occupational asthma and dermatitis, including her medications, inhalers, and specialist appointments. She also got temporary total disability pay for the time she missed and a large lump sum for permanent partial disability, since her occupational asthma was a chronic condition that meant she had to avoid many common cleaning products for the rest of her life. Sarah’s settlement for this complex case landed between $100,000 and $130,000, a figure that recognized her permanent breathing problems and the lifelong medical care she would need.

What these cases show is that you have to act fast, see a doctor, document everything, and get a good lawyer if you’re a custodian dealing with skin irritation or other problems from cleaning chemicals. The small details in these stories, from how the injury was first reported to the final settlement check, show how custodians in Georgia can actually get the compensation they deserve.

Conclusion

Bottom line: if you’re a custodian in Roswell with a skin reaction from cleaning chemicals, you need to move fast. Write down what you were exposed to and what your symptoms are, and seriously consider getting a lawyer to make sure you get every benefit you’re entitled to.