Self-reported skin problems among physical processors in the chemical industry in Great Britain

Contact dermatitis is common in the chemical industry. A cross-sectional st udy was conducted to investigate the prevalence of self-reported skin probl ems in employees involved in the drying, blending, milling, grinding and fi lling/bagging end of chemical manufacture in small- to medium-sized contrac t manufacturing/processing chemical companies in Great Britain. There were several secondary aims. Twenty-three per cent of the employees interviewed reported having had a skin problem in the previous 12 months. Of those repo rting problems, 46% were always/nearly always involved in blending and 56% were always/nearly always involved in filling and bagging. These Same proce sses were also more commonly associated with continuous or recurring skin p roblems. Seventy-five per cent reported a problem involving the upper limbs ; most had more than one body area affected. Forty-three per cent had consu lted a doctor (67% their general practitioner) and 9% took time off work as a result of their skin condition. Skin problems seemed to peak (34% employ ees) in those who had spent between 1 and 2 years in their current job. Sol vents, known skin irritants, were the most frequent, single category of che micals encountered in the study. Over 92% had been told how to avoid skin p roblems; 85% reported that they always/almost always wore protective clothi ng. Despite these measures, a significant number had reported having had a skin problem related to their work in the previous 12 months. Particular at tention to control measures based on risk assessment is recommended for the se physical processors in the chemical industry. Further research is also r ecommended into the whole area of personal protective clothing and the indi vidual worker's perception of risks to health in the workplace.