COSHH guide · Cement

Cement burns and cement dermatitis

Wet cement is highly alkaline and can burn deeply when it is trapped against the skin. Repeated contact causes dermatitis, and some workers develop an allergy to it that is likely to be permanent.

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Published 5 October 2026 · Checked against legislation.gov.uk and HSE on 5 October 2026

Two operatives in hard hats and high-visibility vests on a concrete slab among bundles of steel reinforcement bars, one kneeling at a tool, seen from above

What causes cement burns?

Cement burns are chemical burns caused by the alkalinity of wet cement, concrete and mortar left in contact with the skin. HSE says a serious burn or ulcer can develop rapidly when wet cement is trapped against the skin. In extreme cases the burn may need a skin graft or lead to amputation.

The usual places are inside a boot during a pour, inside a glove, and at the knees when screeding. GB cement suppliers’ data sheets warn that these burns can develop without pain being felt, even through trousers. Cement can also cause chemical burns to the eyes.

The same material causes cement dermatitis. It irritates the skin, and the hexavalent chromium in cement can make a worker allergic. Once that happens, any future contact may trigger dermatitis. Bagged cement carries a reducing agent for the chromium, which works only for the storage period printed on the bag.

Cement is a substance hazardous to health under COSHH. The employer assesses the work, prevents or adequately controls skin contact, provides washing facilities and suitable PPE, and arranges skin checks where appropriate. Dermatitis in general is covered in occupational dermatitis.

Where trades meet wet cement

Anything containing cement behaves the same way once it is wet: concrete, mortar, render, screed, grout and cement-based adhesives.

Common tasks involving cement, how skin or eye contact happens, and the main harm
Task	How contact happens	Main harm
Concrete pours, slabs and bases	Standing in wet concrete; it gets over the top of a boot or soaks through trousers at the knee	Burns to the feet, shins and knees
Screeding and floor levelling	Kneeling on the wet screed for long periods	Burns to the knees
Bricklaying and blockwork	Wet mortar on the hands all day; handling wet bricks and blocks	Irritant and allergic dermatitis on the hands
Rendering, plastering and pointing	Splashes from the hawk and trowel, working overhead, mixing	Eye burns; dermatitis on the hands and forearms
Tiling and grouting	Cement-based adhesives and grouts worked by hand	Dermatitis on the hands. HSE’s case study of a tiler found an allergy to the cement and to chemicals in rubber gloves
Mixing and tipping bags	Powder on sweaty skin and in the eyes; dust in the air	Eye damage; irritation of the nose and throat
Patch repairs, posts and drainage	Small batches mixed by hand in maintenance and facilities work, often without a wash point close by	Burns and dermatitis, because the cement stays on longer

Cutting, drilling or breaking out hardened concrete and mortar is a different hazard: respirable crystalline silica. See silica dust.

What wet cement does to skin and eyes

Alkaline burns

HSE says wet cement is highly alkaline, and that a serious burn or ulcer can rapidly develop if it is trapped against the skin. GB cement suppliers’ data sheets give a pH of 11 to 13.5 for cement in water. HSE’s 2002 information sheet adds that these burns often take months to heal.

HSE, Cement; HSE CIS26

Burns that are not felt

GB cement suppliers’ data sheets warn that prolonged contact with wet cement or concrete may cause serious burns because they develop without pain being felt. Their example is kneeling in wet concrete, even when wearing trousers. Do not wait for it to sting.

Supplier safety data sheets, section 4

Irritant contact dermatitis

The fine particles abrade the skin and the alkali irritates it. HSE lists wet cement among the common causes of irritant contact dermatitis. HSE’s 2002 cement sheet says that if exposure continues, the condition gets worse and the worker becomes more susceptible to allergic dermatitis.

HSE, What are work-related skin diseases; HSE CIS26

Allergic contact dermatitis

Cement contains hexavalent chromium (chromate), which can sensitise the skin. HSE’s skin pages name cobalt as a second sensitiser in cement. HSE says once a person is sensitised, any future exposure may trigger dermatitis, and some skilled tradespeople have had to change trade. The reaction can appear hours, days or even months after contact.

HSE, Cement; HSE, Causes of skin disease; HSE INDG233

What dermatitis looks like

Redness, scaling or flaking, blistering, weeping, cracking and swelling, with itching and pain. HSE’s skin checks poster says dryness, itching and redness come first. Both types can affect the same person at the same time.

HSE, What are work-related skin diseases; HSE skin checks poster; HSE CIS26

Eye damage

HSE says cement can cause chemical burns to the eyes. GB cement data sheets label cement H318, “Causes serious eye damage”. One says eye contact with dry or wet cement may cause serious and potentially irreversible injuries.

HSE, Cement; supplier safety data sheets, sections 2 and 4

Cement dust

HSE says cement powder is a respiratory irritant. Portland cement has a workplace exposure limit of 10 mg/m³ inhalable and 4 mg/m³ respirable dust, as 8-hour averages. Dust from cutting hardened concrete can cause more serious lung disease.

HSE, Cement; EH40/2005 Table 1

Exposure limits in general are explained in workplace exposure limits.

Chromium (VI) and the date on the bag

UK REACH Annex XVII, entry 47

In Great Britain, UK REACH (the REACH Regulation as it applies in GB) restricts chromium (VI) in cement. Annex XVII entry 47 says cement and cement-containing mixtures “shall not be placed on the market, or used” above a set level. The limit is 2 mg/kg (0.0002%) soluble chromium (VI) when hydrated, of the total dry weight of the cement.

Where a reducing agent is used, the supplier must mark the packaging visibly, legibly and indelibly with the packing date. It must also show the storage conditions and the storage period that keep the reducing agent working and the chromium (VI) under the limit.

The reducing agent does not last. HSE says it is effective only for a limited period, as the shelf date indicates, and the chromium (VI) level may then rise again. The GB data sheet we read adds that the effect can also fade if storage conditions are not right, and the cement can then become skin sensitising.

The restriction covers use as well as supply. The only exemption is for controlled, closed and totally automated processes, where machines alone handle the cement and skin contact is impossible. Our practical advice is to rotate stock so bags are used inside the printed storage period, and to keep them dry and off the ground.

Data sheets differ on the allergy warning. The one we read carries no H317, because of the reducing agent. Other GB cement data sheets carry H317, “May cause an allergic skin reaction”. Check the sheet for the product in use.

The reducing agent deals with the allergy, not the burns. In-date cement is just as alkaline, so gloves, boots and washing are still needed.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 as it applies in Great Britain, Annex XVII entry 47, legislation.gov.uk; HSE, Construction hazardous substances: Cement.

What the law asks of employers

Cement meets the criteria for CLP health hazard classes, and Portland cement dust has a workplace exposure limit, so cement is a substance hazardous to health under COSHH regulation 2.

A suitable and sufficient assessment

Before the work starts, the employer assesses the risk to health and the steps needed. The assessment must consider the supplier’s safety data sheet, the level, type and duration of exposure, and the circumstances of the work. Employers with 5 or more employees record the significant findings.

COSHH regulation 6

Prevent, or adequately control

Exposure must be prevented or, where that is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. Substitution comes first. Then work methods and equipment, then control at source, with personal protective equipment last and in addition to the other measures.

COSHH regulation 7(1) to (3)

Washing facilities are part of control

The control measures must include “appropriate hygiene measures including adequate washing facilities”. Schedule 2A adds that control measures take account of all relevant routes of exposure.

COSHH regulation 7(4)(e) and Schedule 2A

PPE for cement comes under COSHH

Gloves, boots and protective clothing provided against cement must be suitable for the purpose. Where COSHH requires PPE, regulations 4 and 6 to 12 of the PPE at Work Regulations do not apply. Contaminated PPE is removed on leaving the work area, kept apart, and cleaned or destroyed.

COSHH regulations 7(9) and 9(5) to (7); PPE Regulations 1992, regulation 3(3)(d)

Workers use what is provided

Every employee must make full and proper use of any control measure or facility provided, and report any defect forthwith. The employer takes all reasonable steps to make sure it is used.

COSHH regulation 8

Information, instruction and training

Workers are told the risks, the significant findings of the assessment and the precautions to take, with access to the data sheet. HSE says they also need to know the signs and symptoms of dermatitis.

COSHH regulation 12; HSE, Cement

Welfare on construction sites

Washing facilities must include clean hot and cold, or warm, water, soap or other means of cleaning, and towels or other means of drying. Showers are needed where the nature of the work or health requires them. Outside construction sites, regulation 21 of the Workplace Regulations sets a similar standard.

CDM 2015 Schedule 2, paragraph 2; Workplace Regulations 1992, regulation 21

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Controlling skin contact with cement

In the order COSHH regulation 7 sets: avoid contact first, then keep distance, then protect the skin. Each stage is HSE’s advice on cement unless marked otherwise.

Avoid

Eliminate or reduce the cement used and the contact with it. Ready-mixed concrete and pre-mixed mortar avoid handling cement powder altogether.

NoteCheck for existing skin or allergy problems before someone starts cement work, as the work can make them worse.

Keep distance

Choose work methods that increase the distance between the worker and the cement, such as longer handled tools.

NoteHSE’s general skin advice adds tools and equipment that keep a safe working distance between hands and wet work.

Keep stock in date

Rotate bags so they are used before the shelf date, while the reducing agent still works.

NoteCement data sheets also ask for dry storage off the ground. This step reduces the allergy risk only; it does nothing for burns.

Gloves

Waterproof gloves suitable for alkaline substances, for example tested to EN 374 for alkalis and bases (class K). HSE says some nitrile or PVC gloves may be suitable. Gloves should be long or tight fitting at the cuff.

NoteHSE’s cement sheet warns that cement trapped inside a glove can burn. The data sheet we read adds: change soaked or damaged gloves at once and keep spares ready.

Boots, trousers and knees

Wellingtons high enough to keep concrete out during pours, with waterproof trousers worn over the top of the boots. For screeding, waterproof knee pads or knee boards, and as little time kneeling as possible.

NoteHSE’s 2002 cement sheet also asks for overalls with long sleeves and long trousers.

Eyes

HSE says use emergency eyewash to remove any cement that gets into the eyes, so it needs to be where the cement is. The data sheet we read asks for safety glasses or goggles when handling dry or wet cement.

NotePlacing eyewash at the mixer and the pour, and goggles for tipping bags and rendering overhead, is our practical advice.

Wash

Wash cement off the skin as soon as possible, and wash exposed skin at breaks and after work. Hot and cold or warm running water, soap and towels, with basins large enough to wash the forearms.

NoteHSE says showers may be needed where workers could get heavily covered in cement.

Look after the skin

Dry the skin thoroughly after washing, and use moisturising skin care products, especially at the end of the day. HSE says these replace the natural oils that keep the skin’s barrier working.

Supervise and check

Make sure work methods, PPE and welfare are actually used and working. Arrange skin checks so early dermatitis is found before it becomes serious.

NoteSee the skin checks section below.

HSE’s general advice on choosing gloves, including breakthrough time and latex allergy, is on its gloves page.

When cement gets on skin or in the eyes

Follow section 4 of the supplier’s safety data sheet for the product in use. This is what HSE and GB cement data sheets say.

Cement on the skin

HSE says wash off any cement on the skin as soon as possible. The GB data sheet we read says to wash skin with plenty of water and to remove contaminated clothing, footwear and watches, cleaning them before reuse.

HSE, Cement; supplier safety data sheet, section 4

Cement in the eye

HSE says use emergency eyewash to remove any cement that gets into the eyes. GB cement data sheets say do not rub the eye, and rinse it with plenty of clean water for at least 20 minutes. They then say to contact an eye specialist or occupational medicine specialist.

HSE, Cement; supplier safety data sheets, section 4

Redness, rash or a burn

The same data sheet says to seek medical treatment in all cases of irritation or burns, and to take the data sheet when contacting a doctor.

Supplier safety data sheet, sections 4.1 and 4.3

Have it ready before the pour

Clean water, eyewash and a first aider at the pour or mixing point, and the data sheet to hand. A cement burn may not hurt at first, so check boots and knees at breaks.

Our practical advice

Skin checks, records and reporting

The full duties are in health surveillance. This is how they apply to cement.

When skin checks are needed

COSHH requires health surveillance where an identifiable disease may be linked to the exposure, is reasonably likely in the work, and can be detected by a valid, low-risk technique. HSE’s cement page says appropriate health surveillance is needed to check that controls are preventing dermatitis. Its 2002 cement sheet applied this to workers using wet cement regularly.

COSHH regulation 11(2)(b); HSE, Cement; HSE CIS26

Who does them

HSE says a responsible person, who can be an employee given suitable training, assesses a new worker’s skin before or soon after starting, then checks periodically. They keep secure records and tell the employer the outcome.

HSE, Cement; HSE G403

What a scheme looks like

HSE’s G403 says an occupational health professional sets up the scheme and trains the responsible person. It describes a baseline, then a questionnaire and skin inspection, for example annually. That covers the hands, forearms, face and, where they can be contaminated, the lower legs.

HSE G403

When dermatitis is found

The employer must make sure the worker is told and advised, review the risk assessment and controls, and consider alternative work without exposure. Others similarly exposed have their health reviewed.

COSHH regulation 11(9)

Reporting dermatitis

Occupational dermatitis is reportable once the employer receives a doctor’s written diagnosis. The work must involve significant or regular exposure to a known skin sensitiser or irritant.

RIDDOR 2013, regulations 2 and 8(c)

Reporting a burn

A burn from a work-related accident is a specified injury if it covers more than 10% of the body’s surface. So is a burn that significantly damages the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs. HSE says this includes chemical burns. Amputation is also a specified injury. A smaller burn is reportable only if it keeps the worker off routine work for more than seven consecutive days, not counting the day of the accident. That report is due within 15 days.

RIDDOR 2013, regulation 4(1)(b), 4(1)(e) and 4(2)

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Asked most often

Cement burns and dermatitis: common questions

Can wet cement burn your skin?

Yes. Wet cement, concrete and mortar are highly alkaline. HSE says a serious burn or ulcer can develop rapidly when wet cement is trapped against the skin, for example inside a boot or glove or under the knees. In extreme cases these burns may need skin grafts or lead to amputation.

Do cement burns hurt straight away?

Not always. GB cement suppliers’ data sheets warn that burns from prolonged contact with wet cement or concrete can develop without pain being felt, even when kneeling in trousers. Wash cement off at once, whether it stings or not, and check boots and knees at breaks.

What should you do if cement gets on your skin?

HSE says wash it off as soon as possible. Remove any clothing, boots or watches with wet cement in them and clean them before reuse. Follow section 4 of the supplier’s data sheet. The one we read says seek medical treatment in all cases of irritation or burns, and take the data sheet along.

What should you do if cement gets in your eye?

HSE says use emergency eyewash to remove it. GB cement data sheets say do not rub the eye, and rinse with plenty of clean water for at least 20 minutes. Then get specialist medical help. Cement can cause serious and potentially permanent eye damage.

What is cement dermatitis?

Inflammation of the skin caused by working with cement. It can be irritant, from the alkali and abrasive particles, or allergic, mainly from the hexavalent chromium in cement. Signs include dry, red, itchy, cracked or blistered skin, mostly on the hands. Once a worker is allergic, any future contact may trigger it.

Why does cement have a shelf date?

Suppliers add a reducing agent to keep soluble chromium (VI) below 2 mg/kg, the GB legal limit. HSE says the agent works only for a limited period, after which chromium (VI) may rise again. The bag must show the packing date, storage conditions and storage period. Use bags within it.

What gloves should you wear for cement?

HSE says gloves should be waterproof and suitable for alkaline substances, for example marked EN 374 and tested for alkalis and bases (class K). Some nitrile or PVC gloves may be suitable. Choose gloves that are long or tight at the cuff, so cement cannot get inside.

Do you need a COSHH assessment for cement?

Yes. Cement is a substance hazardous to health under COSHH, so the employer must assess the work before it starts. The supplier provides the safety data sheet, which feeds the assessment; ask them for it. Use the free COSHH assessment template linked on this page to record it.

Is a cement burn reportable under RIDDOR?

Not every one. A burn covering more than 10% of the body, or significantly damaging the eyes, is a specified injury. A smaller burn is reportable if it keeps the worker off routine work for more than seven consecutive days. Occupational dermatitis is reportable once a doctor diagnoses it, where the work involves significant or regular exposure to a skin irritant or sensitiser.

Is cement dust harmful?

Yes. HSE says cement powder is a respiratory irritant, and a GB cement label carries H335, “May cause respiratory irritation”. Portland cement has a workplace exposure limit of 10 mg/m³ inhalable dust over 8 hours. Cutting or drilling hardened concrete also releases silica dust, which can cause serious lung disease.

Substances and diseases

Read in any order

GuideSilica dustWhere respirable crystalline silica comes from on site, what it does to the lungs, the exposure limit and the controls. GuideIsocyanatesIsocyanates in 2K paints, foams, coatings and adhesives: asthma risk, controls, RPE and health surveillance. GuideWood dustHardwood, softwood and MDF dust: the exposure limits, why hardwood dust is a carcinogen, and how to control it. You are hereCement burns and dermatitisWhy wet cement burns and causes dermatitis, how to prevent it, and what to do when it gets on skin. GuideSolventsSolvents in paints, thinners, adhesives, strippers and cleaners: the health effects, enclosed spaces and controls. GuideDiesel, petrol and exhaustDiesel and petrol as hazardous substances, diesel engine exhaust on site and in workshops, and the controls. GuideLead at workLead paint, roofing and pipework: why the lead regulations apply instead of COSHH, and what they require. GuideOccupational asthmaThe substances that cause asthma at work, how it develops, the legal duties and health surveillance. GuideOccupational dermatitisContact dermatitis at work: wet work, cement, resins and cleaning products, prevention, skin checks and reporting.

Sources

Great Britain law and HSE guidance, read on the dates above. Northern Ireland has its own COSHH Regulations.

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