Controlling skin hazards

Skin disease is reported to be one of the top three causes of work-related illness in Europe. Jenn
Raymond explains some of the skin hazards that can be encountered, the associated legislation and
some of the protective clothing available

As with any other risk to the
health of workers, there is
legislation that covers the
control of skin hazards at work.

Principally, these are the Health and
Safety at Work etc. Act, the Control of
Substances Hazardous to Health
(COSHH) Regulations and the Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work
Regulations.

The Health and Safety at Work Act sets out
responsibilities for both the employer and
their employees. Identification and
subsequent prevention or adequate control
of hazards is the main requirement of the
legislation and the employer’s duties
include ensuring that hazardous substances
are used in accordance with proper safety
systems and procedures. The Act also
requires employers to provide free PPE
where it is deemed necessary.

The COSHH regulations apply where
hazardous substances exist in the
workplace. The regulations require
employers to identify hazards and assess
the risk of exposure to any hazards and
prevent or adequately control exposure and
monitor those controls. They also require
employers to inform, instruct and train the
workforce about the potential
consequences of exposure and the
precautions that need to be taken.

The Personal Protective Equipment at
Work Regulations consider the design,
construction, testing and certification of
PPE and, where appropriate, its cleaning,
maintenance, use and storage.

Skin hazards
Skin hazards can be posed both by
substances used in work processes or by
substances generated by them. Hazardous
substances can be naturally occurring,
biological or man-made and there are
various sources of information available to
help identify them. A useful source of
information is the Health and Safety
Executive’s (HSE) ‘Skin at Work’ website
(www.hse.gov.uk/skin) while the HSE’s
publication ‘EH40/2005 Workplace
Exposure Limits’ identifies substances that
may damage skin with an “Sk” notation.

When considering the risk of exposure,
the question of who might be harmed, and
how, needs to be assessed, as well as how
much of a substance is used, how long for,
what parts of the worker’s body are in
contact with the substance and for what
duration. There are five main groups of
possible health effects to skin: burns,
Irritant Contact Dermatitis (ICD), Allergic
Contact Dermatitis (ACD), other skin
diseases such as urticaria (a short-term
reaction to contact), acne and skin cancer,
and systemic diseases caused when
harmful substances pass through the skin
resulting in diseases of the heart, kidneys,
circulatory and nervous systems or
poisoning.

Burns, which cause severe skin damage
and may lead to scarring, can occur after
brief contact with a corrosive substance,
which could include wet cement, strong
acids and strong alkalis. ICD can develop
after regular contact with mild irritants or
through prolonged contact with water.

Symptoms include dry, red or itchy skin,
swelling, flaking, blistering, cracking and
pain. Repeated contact can lead to hyperirritability,
where inflammation occurs
more quickly than normal. ACD is an
immunological response to a sensitising
substance, such as latex. Symptoms are
similar to ICD but once a person has
developed an allergy, just a tiny amount of
that substance will trigger a reaction.

Choosing the right protection
PPE should be regarded as the last resort
when all other measures have been taken
but a risk of exposure still remains.

Considerations when choosing PPE for
skin hazards include what parts of the
body are exposed – hands or whole body
– and the nature of exposure, whether
immersion, splash or spray. Potential skin
hazards can vary across industry sectors,
so it is important to be aware of the
different types of clothing available to
protect workers, keep them comfortable
and meet the legal requirements for PPE
in the working environment.

EN 340 is the high level standard for
protective clothing, which specifies
general requirements such as material,
labelling, sizing and weight that apply to
different types of clothing. In relation to
protective coveralls, it requires that
products also comply with certain ‘type’
standards, meaning the type of protection
required, which could be gas, non-gas, jet,
spray, particle or limited splash. Each type
of protective clothing has its own standard
and/or test method and products can be
approved to more than one standard and
type.

Choice of material is another important
factor which must be taken into account
when selecting protective coveralls – the
level of chemical protection offered by a
material is generally tested in three ways:
penetration, permeation and repellency.

Training should follow product selection,
with employees receiving information on
why the PPE is needed, what its
limitations are and how to wear it
correctly. In the case of skin hazards there
should also be an explanation of potential
health effects and any warning signs to
look out for.

Jenn Raymond is technical service
engineer at 3M. The company will be
exhibiting at Health & Safety North on
Stand 76