Occupational Dermatitis: Protecting Your Employees' Skin at Work

The Occupational Disease Nobody Talks About

Occupational dermatitis is one of the most common work-related health conditions in the UK, and one of the least discussed. It is an inflammation of the skin caused by contact with substances at work, showing up as redness, itching, scaling, blistering and cracking, most often on the hands and forearms. In bad cases the pain makes gripping tools, washing or even sleeping difficult, and some workers are forced out of their trade altogether.

There are two broad types. Irritant contact dermatitis develops from direct damage to the skin, either by strong chemicals or, very commonly, by repeated exposure to milder ones, including plain water when hands are wet for long periods. Allergic contact dermatitis develops when someone becomes sensitised to a substance; once sensitised, even tiny exposures trigger a reaction, and the sensitisation is usually permanent.

Who Is Most at Risk?

• Cleaners: detergents, disinfectants and constant wet work
• Catering and food staff: wet work, foodstuffs, cleaning products
• Hairdressers and barbers: shampoos, colourants and bleaches, with many apprentices developing problems in their first years
• Construction workers: wet cement, which is both irritant and sensitising, epoxy resins, solvents and dusts
• Mechanics and engineers: oils, greases, metalworking fluids and solvents
• Healthcare and care workers: frequent handwashing, sanitisers and glove use

Because these substances are hazardous to health, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) apply, meaning assessment, control, and where appropriate health surveillance are legal duties, not options.

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Prevention: Avoid, Protect, Check

Avoid contact where possible

The best control is not touching the substance at all. Can a safer product be substituted, a splash-free dispensing method used, a tool or applicator replace bare hands, or a process be enclosed? Reducing the frequency and duration of wet work counts too; rotating tasks so no one has their hands wet all day makes a measurable difference.

Protect the skin

Where contact cannot be designed out, gloves are usually the answer, but the detail matters: the glove material must resist the specific substance (the safety data sheet and glove manufacturer data tell you), be replaced before it degrades, and be worn on clean, dry hands. Single-use gloves are exactly that. Pre-work creams can make washing easier but are no substitute for gloves, and after-work moisturising creams genuinely help the skin repair, so provide them and encourage their use.

Check for early signs

Early dermatitis caught quickly usually resolves; ignored, it can become chronic. Where there is a foreseeable risk, set up skin checks: workers looking at their own hands, encouraged to report dryness, itching or redness, plus periodic checks by a responsible person trained to spot problems. For higher-risk exposures, formal health surveillance through an occupational health provider may be required.

Make It Routine, Not a Campaign

Skin care sticks when it is part of the everyday: gloves that are actually available in the right sizes, washing facilities with warm water and mild soap rather than solvent scrubs, moisturiser by the sinks, and supervisors who ask about hands the way they ask about guards. A five-minute toolbox talk each spring and autumn keeps it live.

Integral Safety helps businesses get on top of skin risks through COSHH assessments via our consultancy service and our COSHH Awareness training course. Get in touch if your risk assessments need a health check of their own.