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COSHH guide · Occupational dermatitis

Occupational contact dermatitis at work

What causes dermatitis in trades, cleaning and facilities work, what COSHH asks for the skin, and how to avoid contact, protect the skin and check for early signs.

Free COSHH assessment template →

Published · Checked against legislation.gov.uk and HSE on

A close-up of a chrome tap with drops of water falling from the spout, in black and white

What is occupational dermatitis?

Occupational dermatitis is contact dermatitis caused or made worse by work: inflamed, dry, red, itchy or cracked skin from contact with irritants, sensitisers or prolonged wet hands. In trades the usual causes are wet cement, epoxy resins, solvents, cleaning products, oils and wet work.

There are two types. Irritant contact dermatitis follows damage to the skin, quickly from a strong irritant or slowly from repeated contact with weaker ones. Allergic contact dermatitis follows sensitisation, and once sensitised a person is likely to stay so for life. HSE says around 95% of work-related skin disease occurs on the hands and forearms.

COSHH requires employers to prevent or adequately control exposure to substances hazardous to health by every route, including the skin. HSE’s approach is to avoid contact, protect the skin and check for early signs. A doctor’s diagnosis is reportable under RIDDOR where the work involves significant or regular exposure to a known skin sensitiser or irritant.

The controls belong in your COSHH assessment. Skin checks are covered in more depth in health surveillance, and cement burns in cement burns and dermatitis.

Where trades, cleaning and FM teams meet it

From HSE guidance

HSE’s G403 names construction, cleaning and paint spraying among the high-risk groups. These are the tasks and products behind most cases in the trades this guide is written for.

Common causes of occupational dermatitis in trades, cleaning and facilities work, from HSE guidance
Product or taskWho meets itHow the skin is exposedWhat it causes
Wet cement, mortar, concrete, grout and renderBricklayers, concreters, plasterers, tilers, screeders and groundworkersHands in the mix, splashes, cement trapped inside gloves, boots or at the kneeIrritant dermatitis from its wetness, alkalinity and grittiness, and allergic dermatitis from the chromate and cobalt it contains. Wet cement can also burn.
Epoxy resinsResin floor layers, and anyone using epoxy grouts, mortars, coatings, paints, adhesives or epoxy anchor resinsMixing two-part products, spreading by hand, splashes and contaminated toolsAllergic contact dermatitis. HSE’s INDG233 names epoxy resins among the common causes.
Wet work and cleaning productsCleaners, FM operatives and anyone washing hands many times a shiftHands wet for long periods, frequent washing, detergents and disinfectantsIrritant contact dermatitis. HSE’s HSG262 calls wet work a leading cause that often goes unrecognised.
Solvents, thinners and degreasersPainters, decorators, maintenance and plant fittersCleaning brushes, tools and hands with solvent; wiping down; soaked ragsIrritant contact dermatitis. Some solvents also pass through the skin and harm other organs.
Oils, greases and used engine oilPlant fitters, mechanics and maintenance engineersHandling dirty parts, oil-soaked clothing, harsh hand cleanersIrritant contact dermatitis. HSE adds that used engine oil can, more rarely, cause skin cancer.
Metalworking fluidsFabricators and machinists cutting and drilling metalFluid on hands and forearms, and mistSkin irritation and dermatitis. HSE also links the mist to lung disease.
Two-pack isocyanate paints and rosin solder fluxPaint sprayers, and electricians and engineers soldering with rosin-cored solder or rosin fluxSpray mist settling on skin; flux on the fingersSkin allergies. HSE lists colophony (rosin) as a cause of allergic contact dermatitis, and says isocyanate spray can cause skin allergies. Both are also main causes of occupational asthma.
Gloves themselvesAnyone wearing gloves for long periodsSweat held against the skin; latex proteins and rubber chemicalsG403 lists prolonged glove use as a main cause. Natural rubber latex can cause contact urticaria, a fast wheal and flare rash.

HSE’s list also includes certain wood dusts as a cause of allergic contact dermatitis. HSE notes that the cleanser used to remove dirt is more often the irritant than the dirt itself. Sources: HSE G403, G402, HSG262 (figure 4), causes of skin disease and what are work-related skin diseases.

Irritant and allergic contact dermatitis

The two look alike on the skin. The difference matters because it changes what a person can go back to.

Irritant contact dermatitis

Caused by things that dry out and damage the skin: detergents, solvents, oils, acids and alkalis, and prolonged or frequent contact with water. A strong irritant such as caustic soda acts at once. Most irritants work slowly, overwhelming the skin’s barrier faster than it can repair. It is more common at work than allergic dermatitis.

HSE INDG233; HSE, causes of skin disease

Allergic contact dermatitis

An immune reaction to a sensitiser, such as the chromate in cement or an epoxy resin. Sensitisation may follow the first contact or take months or years. Once it has happened, tiny amounts trigger a reaction, and HSG262 says the only remedy is to prevent further exposure.

HSE HSG262, paragraph 11

Both at once

Irritant dermatitis can come first and make the skin easier for sensitisers to get through. Some substances are both. HSE gives cement as the example: an irritant through its wetness, alkalinity and grittiness, and a sensitiser through chromate and cobalt.

HSE, causes of skin disease

The signs

Dry, red and itchy skin is usually the first sign. Flaking, blistering, crusting, cracking, swelling and pain can follow. Clues that work is the cause: it is mainly on the hands and face, it improves away from work, and others doing the same job are affected.

HSE INDG233; HSE, causes of skin disease

Not dermatitis: burns and urticaria

Corrosive products such as wet cement, strong acids and alkalis can burn the skin after brief contact. Contact urticaria appears within minutes as a wheal and flare, like nettle rash, and fades within hours. Latex gloves are a common cause.

HSE HSG262, paragraphs 8 and 12; HSE INDG233

Through the skin

Some substances pass through intact skin and harm other organs. EH40 marks them Sk. Skin contact then adds to the dose even when the air is well controlled. See workplace exposure limits.

HSE L5, Approved Code of Practice paragraph 150

Look for skin hazard statements on the label and in section 2 of the safety data sheet. They include H315 “Causes skin irritation”, H317 “May cause an allergic skin reaction” and H314 “Causes severe skin burns and eye damage”. Wet work and process dusts carry no label, so the assessment has to find them.

What COSHH asks for the skin

COSHH 2002

COSHH has no separate skin regulation. Its general duties apply to skin contact as they do to breathing. Each row says whether it is law, the L5 Approved Code of Practice or HSE guidance.

Control by every route

The law requires exposure to be prevented or, where that is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. The L5 Approved Code of Practice says this covers all routes, including contact with the skin causing dermatitis and chemical burns. Schedule 2A requires skin absorption to be taken into account.

Regulation 7(1) and Schedule 2A; L5 Approved Code of Practice, paragraph 149

Assess the risk

Before the work starts, a suitable and sufficient assessment must consider the hazardous properties, the supplier’s safety data sheet, and the level, type and duration of exposure. It must also consider the results of health surveillance. Employers with 5 or more employees record the significant findings.

Regulation 6(1), (2) and (4)

Wet work

Water is not a labelled product, but HSE’s L5 guidance names wet work as one of the most frequently and consistently reported causes of irritant contact dermatitis. It does so in its list of points to consider when deciding what COSHH covers.

HSE L5, guidance paragraph 35

Substitute first, then control in order

Substitution is the preferred way to prevent exposure. Where exposure cannot be prevented, control follows an order. Processes, equipment and engineering controls come first, then control at source and organisation. Personal protective equipment comes last, on top of the rest.

Regulation 7(2) and (3)

Washing facilities and PPE care

Control measures must include appropriate hygiene measures, including adequate washing facilities. Gloves and clothing provided must be suitable, stored properly, checked and replaced when defective. Contaminated PPE comes off on leaving the work area and is kept apart from clean clothing.

Regulations 7(4)(e), 7(9) and 9(5) to (7)

Information, training and use

Employees must receive suitable information, instruction and training on the substances, the risks and the precautions. Employees must make full and proper use of the controls provided and report any defect forthwith.

Regulations 8 and 12

No extra ALARP duty for skin sensitisers

Regulation 7(7)(c) adds a duty to reduce exposure as low as reasonably practicable only for H340, H350 and H350i substances, Schedule 1 items and asthmagens. H315 and H317 are not on that list. Skin exposure must still be prevented or adequately controlled, applying the Schedule 2A principles. The ALARP duty does apply where a product is also a carcinogen or asthmagen, and to used engine oils, which Schedule 1 lists.

Regulation 7(1) and 7(7); Schedule 1

Avoid, protect, check: preventing dermatitis

HSE sums up skin protection in three words: avoid, protect, check. The stages below follow that approach and the order regulation 7 sets. The examples are HSE’s, applied to trades work.

Avoid: remove or substitute

Remove the task or product where you can, or use a less harmful one. Use water-based instead of solvent-based products, ready-mixed mortar and concrete instead of bagged cement, and less concentrated cleaners.

NoteFor cement, HSE says to use bags before the shelf date. The ingredient that reduces the risk of allergy works only for a limited period.

Avoid: keep a safe working distance

Use tools rather than hands. A long-handled spreader for resin floor coatings, a mop with a handle instead of a cloth, and long-handled tools for concrete keep the skin away from the product.

NoteHSE’s HSG262 shows a long-handled floor spreader cutting both skin contact and back strain.

Avoid: control at source and organise the work

Enclose or extract where you can: spray booths for epoxy paints, dosing systems or single-use sachets instead of pouring concentrates. Use drip trays, clean surfaces regularly and limit who works near the product.

NoteHSG262 warns that contact can still happen during cleaning, maintenance and repair, even where engineering controls work well in normal running.

Protect: gloves and clothing

Where contact remains, provide gloves and clothing matched to the product and the task, and train people to use them. For cement work HSE asks for waterproof gloves suited to alkalis, and boots high enough to keep cement out. Add waterproof trousers or knee pads for kneeling.

NoteGloves are the last control, not the first. See the glove rows below.

Protect: washing and skin care

Provide clean washing facilities near the work, with warm water, a mild cleanser and soft towels. Wash contamination off promptly, dry thoroughly and use moisturiser at breaks and at the end of the shift.

NoteHSG262 says never to allow solvents or very abrasive products to be used for cleaning skin.

Protect: keep it off at home

Take off contaminated overalls before getting in the van, and keep work clothing apart from clean clothing.

NoteHSG262 tells of a site worker whose four-year-old daughter’s rash cleared once cement dust stopped travelling home on work overalls and in the car.

Check: look at the skin

Check hands regularly for the first signs of itchy, dry or red skin. Workers report early signs to a named person. Where the test in regulation 11 is met, run proper skin checks, as set out below.

NoteEarly detection means a better chance of full recovery, and shows where controls have slipped.

HSE’s cement guidance says washing facilities on site should have hot and cold or warm running water, soap and towels, with basins large enough to wash forearms. Showers may be needed where workers could be heavily covered. Task controls for each trade are in the concrete works, cleaning and painting and decorating risk assessments.

Choosing and wearing gloves

HSE says gloves tend to be less effective than other controls. Chosen badly or worn too long, they can add to the problem. This is HSE guidance from HSG262 and its skin at work pages.

Match the glove to the product

No glove material protects against everything, and no glove protects forever. Check the safety data sheet, then the glove maker’s chart for breakthrough time, permeation rate and degradation. For a mixture, choose by the ingredient with the shortest breakthrough time.

HSE HSG262, paragraphs 47 to 54

Waterproof for wet work, alkali-proof for cement

Wet work needs a waterproof glove. HSE’s cement guidance asks for waterproof gloves suitable for alkaline substances, long or tight at the cuff so cement cannot get inside. HSE says some nitrile or PVC gloves may be suitable.

HSE, construction: cement

Change gloves before they fail

Breakthrough gives no warning: the glove looks the same while the chemical reaches the skin. Replace gloves on the maker’s performance data, not when they look worn. Contamination trapped inside a glove is held against the skin.

HSE HSG262, paragraphs 41, 51 and 65

Sweat inside the glove

Hands sweat in gloves and the skin over-hydrates, which can itself lead to dermatitis. HSE suggests glove breaks of a minute or so before hands get hot, and cotton liners under protective gloves.

HSE HSG262, paragraph 61

Latex

Proteins in natural rubber latex can cause allergies, and powdered latex gloves can cause asthma. HSE says to choose non-latex gloves unless nothing else gives the protection needed. Where latex is used, it must be low-protein and powder-free.

HSE, choosing gloves; HSE HSG262, paragraphs 62 and 63

Taking them off

Everyone who wears gloves should know when to wear them, how to put them on and take them off without contaminating the skin, and how to dispose of them. HSE says this training may appear trivial and is not.

HSE HSG262, paragraphs 66 and 67

Barrier creams are not gloves

HSE says there are no true barrier creams, as chemicals will always work their way through. Pre-work creams can help dirt wash off with a milder cleanser, but are never used in place of gloves.

HSE, skin at work FAQs; HSE HSG262, paragraph 74

Near rotating machinery, HSE says gloved or bare hands must not go near unguarded moving parts, and gloves should fit snugly and tear easily.

Skin checks, health surveillance and reporting

Skin checks are the “check” in avoid, protect, check. Where the regulation 11 test is met, they are part of health surveillance in law. The full scheme is on the health surveillance page.

When skin surveillance applies

The law requires suitable health surveillance where a disease may be related to the exposure, is reasonably likely in the work, and can be detected by a low-risk technique. HSE’s G403 says to consider it for the main causes, for H315 or H317 products, where gloves are relied on, or after a confirmed case.

Regulation 11(1) and (2)(b); HSE G403

What the checks involve

G403 describes a baseline before exposure or soon after, for example within six weeks. Then a questionnaire and a skin inspection of the hands, forearms and face, and the lower legs if they can be contaminated. It gives annually as an example frequency.

HSE G403

Checks by a responsible person

A trained worker, supported by an occupational health professional, can carry out visual skin checks and report what they find. For higher level surveillance, HSE’s skin guidance says the frequency depends on the risk, but a brief monthly routine is often appropriate. The responsible person passes findings to the occupational health professional and does not interpret them.

HSE, skin health surveillance

When a case is found

HSE advises a worker with symptoms to see their GP or occupational health service and say what their work involves. Where health surveillance finds a case that a doctor or occupational health professional links to the work, the employer must review the assessment and controls. The employer must also consider alternative work for that employee and review the health of others similarly exposed.

HSE, skin at work FAQs; regulation 11(9)

Health records

Each employee under health surveillance has a health record, kept for at least 40 years from the last entry. G403 lists what it should hold, including the products worked with, the PPE used and the results.

Regulation 11(3); HSE G403

Reporting under RIDDOR

Occupational dermatitis is reportable on a doctor’s diagnosis where the work involves significant or regular exposure to a known skin sensitiser or irritant. The employer reports for an employee. A self-employed person doing prescribed work, such as construction work, reports their own. The report goes without delay, in the approved manner, and a record is kept for at least three years.

RIDDOR 2013, regulations 3, 8(c) and 12; Schedule 1

A diagnosis covers new symptoms or symptoms that have significantly worsened. For an employee, it must be in writing. HSE says a self-employed person needs only a doctor’s verbal diagnosis, and that dermatitis caused only by exposure outside work is not reportable. How to report is set out in RIDDOR reporting.

The COSHH register in Unibuild

Every data sheet to hand,
tied to the job that uses it.

In Unibuild, each hazardous substance holds its safety data sheet and its supplier, linked to the jobs, materials and purchase orders that use it. Review dates are tracked, every version is kept, and the current one is the one out on site.

When an auditor or a principal contractor asks for the COSHH register, it is a search by name or supplier, not a spreadsheet somebody else kept.

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  • A data sheet for every substance held with its supplier
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Free COSHH templates

Free to use and reuse, no sign-up
Free downloadCOSHH assessment templateOne substance per assessment: the hazards from the safety data sheet, who is exposed and how, the controls, PPE, storage, spills and first aid. Free downloadCOSHH register templateEvery hazardous substance on site or in the van, with its data sheet date, assessment reference, location and review date. Free downloadCOSHH risk assessment, pre-filledA risk assessment and method statement for work with cement, solvents, resins, dusts and fume on site, filled in and editable. Free downloadCOSHH symbols posterThe nine hazard pictograms and what each one means, for the store, the van or the welfare cabin. A4 or A3.
What is occupational dermatitis?
Contact dermatitis caused or made worse by work. The skin becomes inflamed after contact with an irritant or a sensitiser, or from hands being wet for long periods. It shows as dryness, redness and itching, then flaking, cracking, blistering and pain. It mostly affects the hands and forearms.
What is the difference between irritant and allergic contact dermatitis?
Irritant dermatitis is direct damage to the skin, from things like detergents, solvents, cement or wet work. Allergic dermatitis is an immune reaction after the skin has become sensitised, to substances such as epoxy resins or the chromate in cement. Once sensitised, a person is likely to react to tiny amounts for life.
What causes contact dermatitis at work?
HSE lists epoxy resins, latex and rubber chemicals, solvents, soaps and cleaning products, metalworking fluids, cement, wood and irritating chemicals. Wet work, especially repeated hand washing, and prolonged glove use are main causes too. Construction, cleaning and paint spraying are among the high-risk groups.
Can cement cause dermatitis?
Yes. HSE says cement is both an irritant, through its wetness, alkalinity and grittiness, and a sensitiser, through the chromate and cobalt it contains. Wet cement trapped against the skin can also cause serious burns. Use cement before its shelf date, as the ingredient that reduces the allergy risk works for a limited period only.
Is wet work covered by COSHH?
HSE expects employers to consider it. Its L5 guidance names wet work as one of the most frequently and consistently reported causes of irritant contact dermatitis. It does so in the points to consider when deciding what COSHH covers. HSE’s skin guidance treats it as a risk to assess and control with the same avoid, protect, check approach.
Do barrier creams prevent dermatitis?
No. HSE says there are no true barrier creams: chemicals will always work their way through to the skin. Pre-work creams can make dirt easier to wash off, so a milder cleanser can be used, but they never replace gloves. Moisturising after washing and at the end of the shift helps keep the skin’s barrier working.
What should I do if I think I have work-related dermatitis?
HSE advises seeing your GP or occupational health service and telling them what you do at work. Tell your employer too. If the dermatitis is confirmed as work related, your employer needs to make sure you can work in a way that protects your health.
Do workers need regular skin checks?
Where dermatitis is reasonably likely from the work and can be detected, COSHH requires health surveillance. For skin that usually means a baseline, then a questionnaire and a skin inspection at a frequency an occupational health professional advises. A trained responsible person can carry out routine visual checks.
Is occupational dermatitis reportable under RIDDOR?
Yes, once a doctor diagnoses it and the work involves significant or regular exposure to a known skin sensitiser or irritant. For an employee, the diagnosis is in writing and the employer reports. A self-employed person doing prescribed work, such as construction work, reports their own. Dermatitis caused only by exposure outside work is not reportable.

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. GuideCement 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. You are hereOccupational 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.

Next step

The COSHH register,
tied to the job.

Unibuild keeps each substance’s data sheet and supplier against the jobs, materials and purchase orders that use it, with review dates tracked and every version kept.

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