DIVERS HAND - A SKIN DISORDER COMMON IN OCCUPATIONAL SATURATION DIVING

Saturation divers regularly inspect North Sea installations, working a t depth for periods of 12-16 days. Diver's hand is a particular proble m in saturation diving, and there is no effective protection or treatm ent available. This paper presents the occurrence of diver's hand and describes the disease in clinical and epidemiological terms. Three stu dies of diver's hand have been carried out, in 1990, 1994, and 1995. M ost long term saturation divers have had diver's hand at some time in their professional career. Diver's hand seems able to occur without an y previous skin symptoms, and divers without diver's hand can have sev eral other skin symptoms during a saturation period. It is likely that diver's hand is a specific phenomenon associated with saturation divi ng.