Dermatitis - Stage 2: Assess health risks

The construction industry has a high incidence of contact dermatitis.

Work-related contact dermatitis can develop if the skin is affected by:

• chemicals;
• prolonged or frequent contact with water (eg more than two hours a day);
• biological agents (eg plants, bacteria and fungi); or
• mechanical abrasion (eg abrasive substances such as sand, and rough-edged surfaces and tools).

There are two types of work-related contact dermatitis: irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis.

Dermatitis usually affects the hands and forearms; however, the face, neck or chest, and legs can also be affected. Signs of dermatitis include redness, swelling, blistering, flaking and cracking. It can lead to itching, bleeding and pus formation.

Irritant contact dermatitis

• Is a local inflammation of the skin.
• Can develop after a brief heavy, single exposure (acute) or be due to repeated and prolonged exposure (chronic) to hazardous agents.
• In some cases more than one substance may be involved.

Allergic contact dermatitis

• This occurs when someone becomes allergic to something that comes into contact with their skin.
• The allergic reaction can appear hours or days later.
• Once the allergy has developed, subsequent contact with even tiny amounts of the material can trigger an allergic reaction.

Table 1 Some jobs and related substances associated with allergic dermatitis

Job	Substance
Floor layer	Epoxy resin
Tiler	Epoxy-based adhesive and grout
Painter	Epoxy-based primer paint
Window installer	Acrylic resin window sealer
Plasterer	Cement and plaster
Pneumatic drill operator	Mineral oil
Roadbuilder	Coal tar
Roofer	Coal tar or asphalt products
Bricklayer	Cement
Concrete repairer	Epoxy resins
Roof insulator	MMMF

Ask yourself:

• What tasks do your workers carry out?
• What substances or materials do your workers come into contact with?
• If workers are exposed to substances or materials, do any of these have labels or safety data sheets that say, eg:
  • ‘may cause skin sensitisation';
  • ‘irritating to skin';
  • ‘repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking'?
• What are you already doing to prevent or reduce the risk of dermatitis?
• Have any of your workers developed skin problems?

If you cannot find safety data sheets, contact your supplier or manufacturer - they are legally required to provide information about substances that are hazardous to health, including those that cause skin damage.

Talk to workers about the substances they use and how they use them. Ask if any of them have skin problems.

Assess the risk

A risk assessment is a careful examination of what could harm people. It should assess whether you have taken enough precautions to prevent harm.

Example: Risk assessment for dermatitis

Step	Action	Example
1	Identify the hazards	A water-based epoxy resin is delivered to the construction site for use in floor laying. The containers are labelled ‘R38 - irritating to skin'.
2	Decide who might be harmed and how	Floor layers will use the epoxy directly. Plasterers will also be working in the same part of the building.
3	Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions (see Stage 4)	The floor layers will potentially be in direct contact with the epoxy resin when preparing it for use, so they are at highest risk. Other people working in the vicinity may also be exposed. The risk will be managed by: mixing the epoxy in a single designated area that has been cordoned off for access only by the floor layers; using butyl gloves when mixing and using the epoxy resin; using aprons when mixing; using rollers with splash guards. The plasterers may also come into contact when doing work in the same area and walking through; using splash guards and long-stemmed wipers in laying the floor. The plasterers are at lower risk, but they need to: be made aware of the risk; and keep their work area separate from the floor layers.
4	Record your findings and implement them	Write down the precautions you are using. Meet the floor layers and plasterers to: inform them of the dermatitis risk; give them a paper copy of your assessment; explain clearly the precautions they need to take.
5	Review your risk assessment and update if necessary	The job is scheduled for four weeks, arrange a further meeting with the floor layers and plasterers after one week of the job to check whether precautions are effective. The floor layers will need to transfer the mixing area to allow access to that area by the plasterers and this needs to be planned to take place first thing in the morning to avoid contact with any freshly mixed epoxy resin.