Skin care and skin protection A key aspect of workplace safety

Our hands are on the job 24/7, taking the rough with the smooth while potentially spreading germs and diseases. Besides hand disinfection, skin care and protection is a key factor in mitigating skin ailments and preventing lost productivity.Hands are the number one carrier of pathogenic microbes, transmitting an estimated 90% of the germs they come into contact with. This is a highly explosive statistic: In this age of globalization and routine international travel and transportation, infections can spread virtually instantaneously across national borders and all over the world. Yet our hands themselves are at risk as well. For instance, when subjected to too many stress factors the skin no longer has the capacity to regenerate quickly enough, and harmful substances can easily enter the body. Skin exposed to environmental and especially work-related stresses must therefore be protected and cared for if it is to unfold its optimal protective properties. In addition, raw, cracked skin poses hygiene risks because it provides an ideal breeding ground for germs. Only healthy skin can be effectively disinfected. Accordingly, skin protection and care as well as disinfection have become indispensable to good hand hygiene. Skin diseases top the list of occupational illnessesEczema, itchiness, melanoma – according to the BGW, the German professional association for health and welfare services, skin diseases are among the most common occupational illnesses leading to lost working hours in Germany. In 2012, skin ailments accounted for 61% of illness reports. In the context of a nationwide prevention campaign conducted by health insurance funds, accident insurers, and professional associations in 2007 and 2008, it became clear that skin protection was woefully inadequate and needed to be addressed. 1,000 employees in jobs that involved hazards to skin were surveyed at the time. One alarming outcome: nearly half of the respondents reported skin blisters, itchiness, or other symptoms during the previous twelve months, yet many failed to see any connection between their condition and their occupation, and hence did not take any skin protection measures (source: www.uk-bund.de). Today, more than five years later, the situation is practically unchanged much: Much can be done to ensure effective hand hygiene. Skin protection must be supported through further education and training. While the first symptoms of a skin disease may not be ignored, taking skin protection measures should not be an excuse for not properly disinfecting one’s hands. Conversely, meticulous hand hygiene is no substitute for adequate skin protection. A protective barrier against the outside worldAs the largest human sensory organ, our skin is not only a mere envelope for the body. It is characterized by a highly complex structure and it performs many vital tasks. Consisting of three layers, the skin fulfills the following key functions (source: http://www.mitheilerhaut.de): Protection against cold, heat, and radiationProtection against microorganismsExcretion of toxins (through sweat)Absorption of mechanical stressesRegulation of heat and water lossRegulation of body heat through skin irrigationProtection against chemical substancesResorption of specific active substancesSensory perception of vibration, touch, pain and temperatureThe corneal cells and lipids between the layers form a so-called permeability barrier: Like the mortar between bricks, these epidermal lipids bind corneal cells into a firm structure. Like a tight ‘wall,’ the permeability barrier provides two-sided protection: it prevents excessive moisture from getting out and microbes and harmful substances from getting in. When the skin loses its lipids, it becomes permeable. The hydrolipid (water-fat) film plays a key role in upholding the barrier function. It consists of lactic acid, amino acids and free fatty acids, which results in a slightly acidic pH of 4.5–5.9. This suppresses the growth of pathogens, an important contribution to the body’s immune defense system. The skin’s hydrolipid film is sensitive to a number of factors, which can lead to the onset of skin damage: MoistureOverfrequent hand cleaning and disinfectionIrritating or caustic substancesWearing airtight glovesMechanical injuries such as scratches, small wounds, abrasions and wearCold, heat, air conditioning, sun exposure etc.Repeated exposure to water leads to swelling of the skin, affecting the properties of its protective layer, i.e. the permeability barrier. According to a professional association, contact times exceeding two hours in a wet environment – even when gloves are worn – already fall under the definition for wet workplaces subject to special protective requirements under the Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances TRGS 401. These are issued by the Committee on Hazardous Substances and published in the Federal Law Gazette by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Even working for only one to two hours in a wet environment may require a regeneration phase of four hours or more. Occupational skin diseasesCases of eczema or dermatitis account for 90% of all reported occupational skin diseases. This manifests itself as an inflammation of the outer skin, predominantly on the hands because these are most often exposed to the cause of damage. Dermatitis may become noticeable as a reddening of the skin, papules, blisters, oozing, flaking, pus pockets over large areas and coarse wrinkling (source: www.mitheilerhaut.de). As a measure to prevent occupational skin diseases, Article 5 of the German Occupational Safety Act (Arbeitsschutzgesetz) mandates employers to identify and assess all risks associated with the workplace. The German Hazardous Substances Ordinance GefStoffV (Gefahrstoffverordnung) governs the risk assessment process in Article 7 (5) for activities involving contact with such substances. Hygiene is of great importance in the most diverse fields, including food processing, hotels, senior care residences, nursing homes, and contract cleaning services. Once skin stressors reach a certain threshold, the risks must be addressed and minimized if not eliminated. The following steps are to be observed in this order: 1. Use alternative products 2. Take technical measures (work methods that are kinder to the skin) 3. Change procedures 4. Implement personal protective measures 5. Draw up a skin protection and glove plan Examples of such measures: Where possible, use automatic cleaners and cleaning aids.Where possible, wear gloves suitable for the job at hand.Remove any hand and arm jewelry before starting work.Apply skin protection and skin care products: Apply skin protection products before commencing work, in-between breaks as well as after work.Not only the employer has obligations here. Employees, too, must do their share and follow the employer’s instructions and requirements. Suitable protective gloves are a mustOnce all the main technical and organizational measures for reducing the risk of skin injury have been taken, attention should be drawn to the benefits of wearing protective gloves. One problem with gloves, however, is that the skin begins to sweat and this may pose other risks risk over protracted period. Gloves should therefore not be worn for extended periods of time. The important thing is to ensure that the right type of protective glove is selected for the job at hand and to define the frequency with which gloves should be changed. The following recommendations apply: Use only gloves that have a CE marking.For cleaning and disinfection work, use chemical protection gloves (the shafts should be rolled down when worn).When handling food, make sure the gloves don’t release compounds that constitute a toxicological concern (e.g. plasticizers).The size and shape of the protective gloves must snugly fit the employee’s hands.Every employee must have his or her own pair of protective gloves. Do not use defective protective gloves.Do not use disposable gloves.Section 8 of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the cleaning product being used provides the required information as to the recommended type of protective gloves if any should be worn. TRGS 540, for instance, prohibits the use of powdered latex gloves at the workplace. Using skin protection productsBefore using skin protection products, the issue is first to verify whether other protective measures take precedence. That is because skin protection products should not be considered as a substitute for protective gear. They only serve to maintain the skin’s barrier function and protect the skin from exposure to harmful external factors. Another role of skin protection products is to counteract the swelling effects of water. Here too, the choice of product must take into account the risks to the skin associated with the work. Ideally, skin protection products, usually emulsions, should themselves form a robust supplemental protective barrier on the skin. There are two different types of emulsion: oil in water (O/W) and water in oil (W/O). Oil in water emulsions work with oil molecules encapsulated in water molecules. They offer protection against substances containing solvents. With water in oil emulsions, this is reversed: The water molecules are encapsulated in oil molecules, offering protection against aqueous substances. A skin protection product should be applied before work commences and reapplied at regular intervals uniformly over the whole hands, including the backs, between the fingers, and on the nail beds. For obvious reasons, food handlers should use only fragrance free products. Another good reason for avoiding scented products is that may contain allergens. Hand disinfection benefits everybodyHands come into contact with a host of the most diverse objects within a short span of time (door handles, chopping boards, packaging, uncooked food, waste…). This happens hundreds if not thousands of times during the day. That is why hands are the ideal transportation and delivery system for microbes – many of them dangerous – invisible to the human eye. These germs can be made visible in cultures prepared in the laboratory. The image below depicts three fingerprints on a surface of yeast dextrose agar after 24 hours of incubation at 37°C. What you see here is a good argument for disinfecting hands at regular intervals during work. In the food processing industry, hand hygiene protects the products and eliminates the associated risk of food poisoning. In hospitals and nursing homes the emphasis is on preventing the risk of cleaning staff and other personnel potentially spreading microorganisms. Hand disinfection products based on alcohol are usually the preferred choice, for these have consistently proved to be highly effective, skin compatible, and user friendly. Although these products can emulsify skin lipids, they are used without the addition of water and subsequent rinsing, and so remain effective on the skin without being washed off. Applying a moisturizer is recommended as well to ensure a more pleasant skin feeling and provide a skin care effect when applying the alcohol-based solution. Besides spreading the disinfectant all over the dry skin to maximize effectiveness, it is recommended that users follow the six steps of the surgical hand rubbing (SHR) procedure under EN 1500. Thorough hand disinfection also requires that hand and underarm jewelry be removed as well. Our hands must fulfill high demands. They should always be hygienically clean and it behooves us to keep them in good shape despite the many stresses they are subjected to in everyday life. Inadequate skin protection and skin care are a prelude to skin irritations, dermatitis and potentially worse problems. It comes as no surprise, then, that skin protection is a hot button issue in health and safety at work. Both employers and employees have a shared responsibility here. Under the European Health and Safety Directive 89/656/EEC, the employer is obliged to lay down protective measures and products that specifically address work-related risks and to provide any indicated personal protective equipment. This also applies to professional skin protection. And here the obligation to ensure meticulous skin protection and skin care also rests squarely with the employee. He or she is obligated to make use of any personal protective equipment provided by the employer. The watchword is Prevention. A particular focus should therefore be placed on continuing to raise the awareness of both employers and employees for the prevention of skin diseases. Ecolab Deutschland GmbH | peter.hartmann@holzmann-medien.de

Skin care and skin protection A key aspect of workplace safety

Bleiben Sie auf dem aktuellen Stand

Sie wollen schon gehen? Das ist schade.