Skip the NI Direct Bar

Skin Care - Skin conditions

There are a number of high risk occupations including Catering, Hairdressing, Health Services, Dentistry, Printing, Metal Machining, Motor Vehicle Repair and Construction.

The main methods of exposure are:    

  • Immersing hands (and legs) into chemicals;
  • Direct handling of contaminated work pieces or sensitising agents (e.g. food, flour);
  • Skin contact with contaminated surfaces;
  • Splashing when mixing / handling chemicals;
  • Fumes or airborne deposits (e.g. cement dust);and
  • Wet work (e.g. frequent hand washing).

One of the most common skin conditions is dermatitis and the symptoms include:    

  • Redness;
  • Scaling / Flaking;
  • Blistering;
  • Cracking; and
  • Swelling.

There are two main types – irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis

  • Irritant contact – this may occur quickly after contact with a strong irritant or after longer / repeated exposure with weaker irritants. May be chemical, biological, mechanical or physical (solvents, oils, wet works, soaps, dusts, acids).
  • Allergic contact – this occurs after developing an allergy to a substance – skin contact may lead to “sensitisation” – likely to be permanent (hair dyes, adhesives, inks, flour, shellfish, etc).

Other skin conditions include:

  • Urticaria- this occurs quite quickly following skin contact but disappears within hours. Examples include latex protein, food (potatoes, fish, meat etc.), heat/cold etc. Symptoms may include itching, tingling, burning etc.
  • Skin cancer (work related)– from uv light (outdoor work), chemicals (pitch / coal tar, mineral oils etc.) and ionising radiation. Symptoms may include itchiness and tenderness at the rash area.


Next: steps to take

Return to Skin Care topic