Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Scheme: The Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 - screening

These Regulations will amend the Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986 which provide the legal framework for the industrial injuries disablement benefit (“IIDB”) scheme. Claims for IIDB occur where the claimant has suffered an industrial injury or disease in the course of their employment, otherwise known as ‘prescribed diseases’. The amendments contained within these new Regulations relate to the prescribed disease ‘Dupuytren’s contracture’. The amendments reflect the latest scientific research carried out by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (“IIAC”). IIAC have recommended that Dupuytren’s contracture in workers exposed to hand-transmitted vibration, be prescribed as a disease which is presumed to be due to the nature of a person’s employed earner’s employment. These Regulations will help provide a fairer scheme for all potential claimants and provide further clarity of the prescribed disease.