Health, Safety and Environment

New HSE/BSIF Dermatitis Leaflet

2 November 2006

A new joint Health and Safety Executive (HSE) / British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) Dermatitis Leaflet has been published to promote improved skin care at work entitled "Preventing Work Related Dermatitis - It's In Your Hands".

Occupational dermatitis affects virtually all industries and businesses. Signs can be redness, itching, scaling and blistering. If it gets worse the skin can crack and bleed and the dermatitis can spread all over the body. It can be bad enough to keep you off work and serious enough to force you to change jobs. If it is spotted early and adequate precautions are taken, most people will make a full recovery. But some people can be affected for life. The HSE estimated that about 40,000 people in Great Britain are suffering from a skin disease caused by their work. Most of these cases resulted from exposure of the skin to chemical agents.

However, by taking a sensible, positive approach to looking after health and safety, you could prevent work-related dermatitis and the associated problems in your workplace.

The new leaflet covers a wide rage of information regarding:

The causes of dermatitis,
Skin Contact,
Legal Obligations,
Control Measures,
Do's and Don'ts,
How to recognise hazardous substances,
Safe Working,
How do I recognise dermatitis,
Protective Gloves and Clothing,
Skin Care,
Pre-work creams,
Skin cleansers and After-work creams (moisturisers).

The British Occupational Hygiene Society leaflet

You will need the Adobe Reader to view PDF files, you can download it free.