WORK RELATED DISEASES
be burdened with compensation costs. And if news of incidents spread, bad publicity is inevitable.
What can be done to combat the threat of occupational skin disorder?
EDUCATE YOUR WORKFORCE Education is crucial: employers must ensure their employees know how serious an issue occupational skin disorders are – and what they can do to prevent being affected. Which products can be used? When should they be applied? What is the right hand-washing technique, and when should hands be washed?
“EVERY YEAR, AROUND 3MILLION
WORKING DAYS ARE LOST BECAUSE OF
OCCUPATIONAL SKIN DISORDERS”
Skin care education should not be a one-off event, but an ongoing conversation between employer and employee. To help them in their efforts, employers can get help from organisations specialising in the issue. Materials such as leaflets, posters, and information boards are widely available and help employers to increase awareness of hand hygiene compliance. Regular staff meetings are also a good way to keep handwashing on everyone’s mind.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT
PRODUCTS Educating employees on hand hygiene protocols is futile if the correct skin care products are not present in the workplace. Employers must ensure that accessible, easy-to-use dispensers filled with appropriate skin care products are placed in critical locations to encourage hand hygiene compliance from all employees.
Different working environments have their own specific requirements, and any products should always be sourced from a reputable company who offer advice and guidance on the use of the products. By taking into account the potential hazards the skin
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might come into contact with, as well as the specific nature of the work, skin experts are able to suggest the right cleansers and creams.
IMPLEMENT A DEDICATED
SKIN CARE PROGRAMME A dedicated three-step programme for skin care identifies three crucial moments for hand hygiene: using protection cream before work; appropriate hand cleansers after hands become contaminated; and restorative creams at the end of the day.
Protective creams are specially formulated to leave a protective layer on the surface of the skin. They can reduce direct contact with specific types of physical contaminants, help retain natural lipids and moisture in the skin, improve comfort and skin strength when wearing gloves, and make the skin quicker and easier to clean.
Restorative products are as important. Applied at the end of the day, they moisturise, nourish and condition the skin, improving its strength and preventing it from becoming dry or damaged.
If outdoor working is involved, employers should also take into account UV radiation. Prolonged unprotected exposure to the sun does not only cause skin damage; ultimately, we know it can increase the risk of skin cancer. If UV protection is integrated into staff education on skin care – ideally combined with sun cream that is widely available to workers – employers can take a huge step towards protecting their employees from this threat.
MAKE SURE CLEANSERS AND CREAMS ARE EASILY
ACCESSIBLE The installation of specifically designed, sealed cartridge dispensers for use with soaps, skin cleansers and creams is strongly recommended. Such dispensers provide the most hygienic skin care system, by reducing to a minimum the risk of cross-infection that can occur if a number of people extract the product from an open or communal container. Dispensers also assure that the correct amount of product is used – minimising waste and optimising cost in use.
TURN YOUR EFFORTS INTO AN
ONGOING CONVERSATION Regular site audits can help to make sure a hand hygiene regime continues to be effective. Do our facilities comply with hand hygiene regulations? Is the handwashing equipment as accessible as it could be? Are we using the right products? Regular skin audits, meanwhile, are crucial to assure that the health of employees remains a priority.
The effort to combat occupational skin disorders should be an ongoing conversation between employers and employees – not just a one-off event that is quickly forgotten about. Practical education and support tools are widely available from organisations specialising in skin care at the workplace. If employers and employees work together, they can go a long way to prevent occupational skin disorder – and keep their skin healthy in the workplace.
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