Dermatitis

What you need to do

The law says that you must identify those hazardous substances that cause dermatitis and go on to eliminate or reduce the exposure of your workforce to those substances.

• Substances that cause dermatitis
• Who is at risk?
• Managing the risks

What you need to know

Contact dermatitis is inflammation of the skin that can arise from contact with a range of materials. The main signs and symptoms are dryness, redness, itching, swelling, flaking, cracking and blistering, and it can be very painful.

Dermatitis usually affects the hands and forearms; however, the face, neck or chest, and legs can also be affected.

Work-related dermatitis is caused or made worse by work. There are two types of work-related contact dermatitis:

• Irritant contact dermatitis – usually caused by the skin coming into contact with an irritant substance. Anyone can be affected and the strength of the irritant together with the duration of exposure will affect the seriousness of the complaint;
• Allergic contact dermatitis – where a person develops an allergic reaction to a substance. The reaction may follow weeks, months or even years of use without any ill effects but once it has occurred, any future exposure to the substance will produce an adverse reaction.

Substances that cause dermatitis

In the construction industry, the substances that cause most skin health problems are:

• wet cement
• epoxy resins and hardeners
• acrylic sealants
• bitumen or asphalt
• solvents used in paints, glues or other surface coatings
• petrol, diesel, oils and greases
• degreasers, descalers and detergents.

Who is at risk

All construction workers are at risk of contact dermatitis.

Bricklayers, roofers, roadworkers and painters are at particular risk because of frequent contact with harmful substances.

Managing the risks

You need to identify, eliminate and reduce the risk of your workers developing work related dermatitis.

The HSE five-stage plan for managing construction health risks shows you how:

• Stage 1: Arrangements
• Stage 2: Assess health risks
• Stage 3: Eliminate risk
• Stage 4: Control risk
• Stage 5: Manage remaining risk

Top tips for managing dermatitis risk on smaller sites:

• Try to eliminate a substance or use a safer substance or process and think about what you can do to reduce exposure. The focus should not just be on providing gloves.
• Discuss and explain dermatitis risks with your workforce including: the symptoms, what to look for, what to do and how to protect themselves.
• provide and maintain proper washing facilities, with a supply of hot and cold running water, soap and a means of drying the hands.
• Provide pre- and after-work creams and make sure they are used.
• Do regular skin checks.
• Gloves can help prevent dermatitis. Seek advice from glove manufacturers on the most suitable gloves for specific types of hazard.
• Avoid getting contaminants inside the gloves when putting them on and taking them off.