How do I prevent skin problems in my business?
What are the high-risk jobs and workplaces?
Work-related skin problems are very common. They can happen in most workplaces although they happen more in certain high-risk jobs. Some specific advice has been provided for some of these occupations. If your industry is not listed below then just follow the more general advice on how to prevent skin problems.
I don't work in a high-risk industry. Should it still concern me?
You could still have a problem. Find out what your workers are in contact with at work:
- Some products contain substances that can harm the skin or enter the body through skin contact. The product label or material safety data sheet should tell you if this is the case. Look for hazard warning signs, risk and safety phrases. These are explained in more detail on our labelling and packaging web pages.
- Not all harmful substances come in labelled containers. Substances can be generated during work activities (eg wood dust from sanding, solder fumes). Remember that handling some 'natural' substances like foods and flowers can cause skin problems too. If you are unsure if a substance emitted from a work process or natural substance you are handling is harmful, you can get help from a variety of sources eg some materials are listed in tables on these web pages, or try your trade association.
- Prolonged or frequent contact with water, particularly in combination with soaps and detergents, can cause dermatitis. 'Wet work' is the term used to describe tasks in the workplace that can cause this.
If their work does involve skin contact like this you can take simple steps to reduce the risk and prevent skin problems.
What should I do about it?
Use the APC approach.
- Avoid direct contact between unprotected hands and substances, products and wet work where this is sensible and practical, for instance:
- Get rid of the substance/product/wet work altogether.
- Substitute the product/substance for something less harmful.
- Introduce controls (such as tools or equipment) to keep a safe working distance between skin and substances/products/wet work. Our poster [264KB] explains the term safe working distance.
- Protect the skin. Avoiding contact will not always be possible so:
- Provide suitable personal protective equipment such as gloves. This can be complex so we have provided advice on glove selection.
- Provide mild skin cleaning cream that will do the job and washing facilities with hot and cold water.
- Tell workers to wash their hands before eating and drinking, and before wearing gloves. Suitable cleaning systems exist for mobile workers.
- Remind workers to wash any contamination from their skin promptly.
- Provide soft cotton or disposable paper towels for drying the skin. Tell workers about the importance of thorough drying after washing.
- Protect the skin by moisturising as often as possible and particularly at the end of the day – this replaces the natural oils that help keep the skin's protective barrier working properly.
- Use suitable pre-work creams.
- Check hands regularly for the first signs of itchy, dry or red skin:
- Regular skin checks will help spot the early signs of dermatitis or other skin problems caused by skin exposure
- The earlier that health effects are recognised and treated, the more likely it is that the sufferer will make a full recovery
- Checks can show whether an adequate standard of control is being maintained. They may give an early indication of lapses in control and a need to reassess the controls used
Skin problems in catering businesses
Does this concern me?
Yes, it concerns you if:
- your business prepares/handles a lot of food;
- your employees have to wash their hands a lot during the day to meet food safety laws;
- you have employees who clean kitchen surfaces, ovens, pots, pans and kitchen utensils.
Why is this a problem for my catering business?
Work-related dermatitis (often called eczema) is one of the main causes of ill-health for catering staff (chefs, cooks and catering assistants). The number of new cases per year is twice the average of all other industries.
If one of your catering staff had to leave their job because they had developed dermatitis that couldn't be cured, what effect would it have on your business? Remember that work-related ill health can cost more than twice as much as an accident causing injury. Could you afford this?
The good news is that it's easy to prevent dermatitis and if you are following good practice for food safety, you are well on your way to protecting your employees from dermatitis too.
What should I do about it?
Use the APC approach:
- Avoid direct contact between unprotected hands and cleaning products, water and food where this is sensible and practical. For instance:
- Use a dishwasher rather than washing up by hand.
- Use tools such as tongs to handle food rather than hands.
- Use a food processor for chopping or mixing.
- Protect the skin. Avoiding contact will not always be possible so:
- Wear appropriate gloves where you can and particularly when carrying out all cleaning activities.
- Information on what types of gloves to wear will be supplied with the cleaning products.
- Where you wear gloves for handling food, remember your food safety training, so wash your hands before and after wearing gloves, avoid cross contamination, use single-use non-latex disposable gloves.
- Provide soft, disposable paper towels for drying the skin.
- Also protect the skin by moisturising as often as possible and particularly at the end of the day – this replaces the natural oils that help keep the skin's protective barrier working properly.
- Use appropriate creams that will not contaminate food or cause cross-contamination, eg from a dispenser, hypoallergenic, and either non-tainting or free of fragrance and free of nut oil.
- Check hands regularly for the first signs of dermatitis – itchy, dry or red skin:
- When dermatitis is spotted early, it can be treated, which can stop it from getting too bad.
- Checking for dermatitis can easily be included in your sickness arrangements for food safety.
Your staff need to know about the simple steps. Training and information resources can help you to inform and train employees.
What about food safety and dermatitis?
You may recognise some of these suggestions, as these are also good food safety techniques. Following the APC approach for preventing dermatitis is similar to the many of the best practice controls promoted for food safety, as demonstrated in the table below.
| Examples of good food safety methods | APC approach |
|---|---|
| Dishwashers wash things at a high temperature. This is great for killing bacteria. | Avoid direct contact
|
| Avoid handling food as much as possible. Hands can easily spread harmful bacteria onto food. | Avoid direct contact
|
| Remove jewellery (except wedding bands) for work. Jewellery can collect and spread harmful bacteria or fall in food. | Protect the skin
|
| Hand hygiene is important for food safety. Dermatitis causes sore hands and workers may not wash them thoroughly or as often because it hurts. | Check the skin for early signs of dermatitis
|
Work-related contact dermatitis in the health services
Size of the problem
Nurses are reported to have an incidence of diagnosable work-related contact dermatitis which is higher than the average for all professions
What is it?
Contact dermatitis is the most common form of work-related skin disease in nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Dermatitis is an inflammatory condition of the skin caused by contact with outside agents which can result in irritation, redness, cracking and blistering.
Much less commonly reported skin problems such as contact urticaria may be seen in individuals who have latex allergies and are sensitive to natural latex rubber proteins.
Who is affected?
Those who are most affected are nurses, midwives, medical radiographers, nursing auxiliaries and assistants, medical practitioners (doctors, SHOs etc) and physiotherapists.
Other professionals in this sector that can suffer from work-related contact dermatitis are those who need to wash their hands regularly or those whose skin is frequently exposed to chemicals or rubber materials used in personal protective equipment.
Causes
Frequent exposure to soaps and cleaners, and 'wet work' (work involving wet hands or hand washing) account for over a quarter of all cases of work-related contact dermatitis. Other hazardous agents include rubber chemicals (eg carbamates, thirurams) which may be present in both natural rubber latex and synthetic rubber materials), bleach and sterilisers, preservatives, fragrances and aldehydes.
Reducing the risks of work-related dermatitis
Advice for employees
- Where practicable, use machinery and tools provided rather than hands (eg equipment cleaning machines).
- During hand washing, thoroughly rinse off residual soap/hand cleanser.
- Ensure your hands are thoroughly dry before continuing work.
- Use emollient creams regularly, especially after finishing work. Ensure all parts of the hand are covered.
- Check your skin for early signs and report concerns to your 'responsible person'. Early detection can help prevent more serious dermatitis from developing.
Advice for employers
To comply with the laws that apply, you need to carry out a risk assessment. Depending on the risks, put in place suitable measures to manage the risks or work-related contact dermatitis which may include:
- Consider using less hazardous alternative approaches such as automation (eg an equipment washing machine), use of tools or less hazardous products.
- Provide hand hygiene products (eg gentle soaps) that are both effective and minimise the risk of skin disease.
- Train employees in use of equipment and gloves, correct hand cleaning and skin care measures (eg regular use of moisturisers). Downloadable posters for information are available on this website.
- Provide good hand-drying facilities (eg good-quality, soft paper towels).
- Provide emollients in suitable dispensers to prevent cross-contamination.
- Use a system of skin-checking or other appropriate health surveillance to ensure.
Work-related contact dermatitis in dentistry
Work-related contact dermatitis is the most common form of skin disease in the dental team.
Size of the problem?
Dental nurses, and to a lesser extent dentists, are at a greater risk of developing work-related contact dermatitis compared to other occupations
What is it?
Dermatitis is an inflammatory condition of the skin caused by outside agents which can result in irritation, redness, cracking and blistering.
Much less commonly seen skin problems, such as those due to contact urticaria, may be due to occupational exposure to natural latex rubber proteins in sensitised individuals. Use the "Latex" link to see more information about latex allergies.
Who is affected?
Work-related dermatitis can affect all members of the dental team who regularly wash their hands, are exposed to chemicals used in dental work and/or are exposed to rubber materials such as those in personal protective equipment.
Causes
The main causes of work-related contact dermatitis in these workers are rubber chemicals (eg carbamates, thirurams) which may be present in both natural rubber latex and synthetic rubber materials (eg nitrile), soaps/cleaners and 'wet-work' (eg having wet skin through frequent hand washing, surface cleaning). The skin of workers may also be exposed to other allergenic or irritating chemicals often used in dental practice (eg an X-ray developer).
Reduce the risks of work-related dermatitis
Advice for employees
- Where practicable, use machinery and tools provided rather than hands (eg equipment cleaning machines).
- During handwashing, thoroughly rinse off residual soap/hand cleanser.
- Ensure your hands are thoroughly dry before continuing work.
- Use emollient creams regularly, especially after finishing work. Ensure all parts of the hand are covered.
- Check your skin for early signs and report concerns to your 'responsible person'. Early detection can help prevent more serious dermatitis from developing.
Advice for employers
To comply with the laws that apply, you need to carry out a risk assessment. Depending on the risks, put in place suitable measures to manage the risks or work-related contact dermatitis which may include:
- Consider using less hazardous alternative approaches such as automation (eg an equipment washing machine), use of tools or less hazardous products.
- Provide hand hygiene products (eg gentle soaps) that are both effective and minimise the risk of skin disease.
- Train employees in use of equipment and gloves, correct hand cleaning and skin care measures (eg regular use of moisturisers). Downloadable posters for information are available on this website.
- Provide good hand-drying facilities (eg good-quality, soft paper towels).
- Provide emollients in suitable dispensers to prevent cross-contamination.
Use a system of skin-checking or other appropriate health surveillance to ensure preventative measures are working.
Skin problems in motor vehicle repair businesses
Does this concern me?
Yes it concerns you if;
- your business involves engine repairs;
- your business involves vehicle body repairs. Spray painters are seven times more likely to develop dermatitis than the average working population; body preparation workers are twice as likely;
- your business involves vehicle valeting.
What is the problem?
- Frequent or prolonged contact with used engine oil may cause dermatitis and other skin disorders including (more rarely) skin cancer.
- Many cleaning and degreasing substances used in valeting can cause dermatitis.
- Exposure to fine dust during hand sanding can cause dermatitis.
- Some substances in two-part adhesives, body fillers and foam fillers can cause skin allergies.
- If the hands are frequently wet, or wet for prolonged periods during the workday (for example during wet sanding), this can lead to dermatitis.
What should I do about it?
Take all reasonable steps to avoid or minimise contact with materials that cause skin problems by changing the task or process. Consider these examples:
- substitute a more hazardous material with a safer alternative;
- automate the process, eg use an automated spray gun cleaning unit;
- use engineering controls, enclosures or local exhaust ventilation (LEV), eg booths for spray painting, vacuum sanders or LEV for dry sanding;
- deal with spills promptly;
- keep the workrooms clean.
You will also need to protect the skin. This is particularly important if the steps above are not practical or are not enough to avoid contact. You can protect the skin by the following:
- tell workers how to look after their skin;
- remind them to wash any contamination from their skin promptly;
- don't use aggressive cleaners or solvents to clean skin;
- tell them about the importance of thorough drying after washing;
- provide soft cotton or paper towels;
- supply moisturising pre-work and after-work creams;
- provide appropriate protective clothing/gloves;
- make sure gloves are made of suitable material;
- select gloves that are the right size and right for the task to be done;
- use and store gloves correctly;
- replace gloves when necessary.
You will also need to make sure regular skin checks are carried out to look for early signs of skin disease.
- Regular skin checks can spot the early stages of disease.
- Early detection can prevent more serious problems from developing.
- Steps can be taken to start treating the condition.
- Checks can help indicate a possible lapse in your preventative measures.
Further information and tools to help with staff training are available in the publications and training resources pages.
Further advice is available on health surveillance for skin diseases.
Your staff need to know about the simple steps. Further information and tools for you to inform and train workers are available in the training and information resources pages.
Finally, check regularly that all these actions are carried out in practice.
Individuals who suspect they may have a skin problem should visit their General Practitioner for advice and treatment if needed. The NHS also has useful information and advice on dermatitis, urticaria and skin cancer.