Protecting workers against skin hazards

There are many hazards that face people in the workplace, not least skin hazards, which can pose a risk in many industries. In fact, skin disease is reported to be one of the top three causes of work-related illness in Europe. Jenn Raymond, technical service engineer for the safety services division at 3M, explains some of the skin hazards that can be encountered, the associated legislation and some of the protective clothing available:

London – 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 is the main piece of legislation which governs both the health and safety of people at work and others from any risks associated with work activities.

The 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 Personal Protective Equipment (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 particularly 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 cause damage to skin with an “Sk” notation. Other sources include product labels and trade associations and their journals and websites.

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. In order to properly assess the risk, it is essential to understand the health effects associated with exposure. It is equally important that workers are fully informed of the risks and that any symptoms are recognised at an early stage.

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 hyper-irritability, where inflammation occurs more quickly than normal. ACD is also knows as skin sensitisation and 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.

There is a hierarchy of control which starts with elimination or substitution of the process or substance involved and then moves on to engineering controls, such as the introduction of spray booths or automated systems. If it is still not possible to control exposure to a safe level, then PPE such as protective coveralls can be used to control exposure to skin hazards.

Introducing PPE involves a four-step process: identifying the hazard, assessing the risk, selecting adequate and suitable PPE, and training in its use. Looking at step three, ‘adequate’ requires that the equipment is able to reduce exposure to acceptable levels and ‘suitable’ means the equipment must be right for the environment, task and wearer. 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. There are a number of different tests and standards that relate to protective coveralls and these need to be understood for the right product to be chosen.

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. Within each type standard, there are also a number of material requirements such as abrasion resistance, tensile strength and puncture resistance. This information is useful when comparing products and judging their relative suitability for an environment.

Protective Coverall Type Standards

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.

Penetration defines how much of a substance can travel through any minute pores in the fabric, while repellency indicates how much rolls off the fabric and does not work its way through. Permeation considers how long it takes for molecules of a substance to travel through the fabric on a chemical level, something which is not necessarily detectable by the naked eye.

In addition to type standards and materials tests there are also a number of optional standards to which protective coveralls can be approved. These include; EN 1149-5 Electrostatic properties, EN 1073-2 Protection against nuclear particles and EN 14126 Protection against micro-organisms.

Alternatively, for workers who have to operate in a generally dirty environment, rather than with hazardous materials, CE Simple products are available. These are classified as CE Category I PPE and, while being CE marked, are not intended for use in hazardous environments.

In addition to the technical material requirements, which are dictated by the type of protection required, other factors to be considered are the functional design of coveralls. There are specific features that can make coveralls more comfortable for the wearer and less likely to impair their work performance.

These can include coveralls with breathable back panels for working in hot environments or where the work is more physical and three-piece hoods which can offer a better fit if the worker has to wear other PPE such as a full face respirator. Two-way zips can add convenience while seamless shoulder and sleeve tops provide comfort and fewer entry points for contaminants.

Finally, in order for protective coveralls to fulfil their task of protecting the wearer from skin hazards, it is essential that product selection is followed up by appropriate training.

Employees should receive information on why the coverall and any other PPE is needed - which in the case of skin hazards should include an explanation of potential health effects and any warning signs to look out for - and the limitations of their use. They should also receive instruction on how to correctly fit, wear and remove the coveralls and how to store them appropriately.