A cleaner's hands start itching after work. A vehicle technician has cracked fingers. A kitchen assistant keeps changing gloves because their hands feel damp. These are signals to investigate, not proof that someone simply has sensitive skin. Occupational dermatitis prevention means controlling what reaches the skin and spotting problems early. For a small business, losing someone's ability to clean, prepare food or handle tools can disrupt an entire team.
Start with the work, not the hand cream
Dermatitis can involve itching, inflammation, cracking and blistering. Irritant contact dermatitis can arise from wet work and irritating substances; allergic contact dermatitis involves sensitising agents. Managers should not diagnose the cause from a photograph or assume that every rash is work-related. They should identify possible exposures and arrange appropriate advice.
HSE explains that employers must assess risks from skin exposure to hazardous substances and prevent exposure or adequately control it where prevention is not reasonably practicable. This is not achieved simply by putting moisturiser beside a sink. Include skin exposure in the relevant COSHH assessment and put the controls into the actual working method.
This guide addresses skin protection and early detection. Our separate COSHH guide explains the wider assessment process; the two should connect without treating a supplier's safety data sheet as the completed assessment.
HSE: legal requirements for skin protection ↗ · Related guide: a safety data sheet is not a COSHH assessment →
Find the repeated contact that people stop noticing
Frequent or prolonged contact with water, particularly alongside soaps or detergents, can damage skin. Review cleaning, washing-up, handwashing and wet processes, not just products bearing hazard warnings. Used oils, metalworking fluids, cement and some resins also deserve attention where the work involves them.
Watch a complete task. Which hand holds a contaminated cloth? Does liquid enter the cuff? Are workers touching a shared handle with dirty gloves and later bare hands? Ask about cleaning equipment at the end of the shift, when the formal production task is finished but exposure continues.
A hypothetical Teesside valeting business might find that the issue is not one dramatic chemical splash. It is repeated handling of damp cloths, a leaking dispenser and wet gloves reused between vehicles. Record the contact route, frequency, duration and affected roles. That gives the supervisor something specific to change.
Reduce contact before relying on gloves
Ask whether the task can be removed, automated or done with a less harmful product. Consider dispensers, baskets, brushes or other tools that keep hands away from the substance. Check that substitution does not introduce a different risk or compromise essential hygiene requirements.
Provide suitable washing facilities, effective gentle cleansers and proper drying materials. Workers need to remove contamination promptly, dry their hands thoroughly and understand the skin-care arrangements. Moisturisers can support skin care, but they do not make continued exposure acceptable.
Turn the assessment into a short instruction at the point of use. Name the product, method, protective equipment and action after contamination. Make replenishing supplies someone's responsibility: an empty dispenser or missing glove size can defeat an otherwise sensible system.
Select gloves for the substance, task and wearer
There is no universal chemical-protective glove. Use the supplier's information and glove manufacturer's compatibility data for the actual substance, concentration and contact conditions. Material, thickness, breakthrough performance, degradation, cuff length and replacement arrangements matter; colour alone tells you very little.
Check fit, grip and dexterity, and consider other hazards such as sharp edges. A disposable glove used for incidental splashes is not automatically suitable for repeated immersion. Give workers practical instruction on removal without contaminating their hands, replacement and storage of reusable gloves.
Sweaty hands and glove-related reactions also need attention. Review wear periods and safe opportunities for glove breaks, keeping hands away from exposure while gloves are off. Seek specialist advice where an allergy is suspected rather than repeatedly issuing a different box and hoping it solves the problem.
Check where skin exposure is getting through.
HR + SAFETY can review the task, COSHH controls and protective-equipment arrangements, and help identify where occupational health input is needed.
Discuss a skin-exposure reviewDecide whether skin health surveillance is needed
Health surveillance is required in relevant COSHH circumstances where an identifiable disease is associated with exposure, valid detection is possible and the working conditions make the disease reasonably likely. It is not a general wellbeing check and does not replace exposure control. Obtain competent advice on the scheme your risks require.
HSE's skin guidance describes baseline assessment and regular visual inspections for higher-level surveillance, with frequency determined by risk. An annual questionnaire alone should not be assumed sufficient. A trained responsible person can support the programme, with occupational health support and a clear route for referring findings; they are not there to diagnose disease.
Keep health-surveillance records securely and distinguish the employer's health record from confidential clinical information. Where COSHH health surveillance applies, the health record must be retained for at least 40 years from its last entry. Plan this properly rather than leaving sensitive forms in a shared supervisor folder.
HSE: skin health surveillance ↗ · HSE: COSHH health surveillance ↗
Act on symptoms without waiting for the next check
Give employees a named contact and a prompt reporting route. Arrange appropriate medical or occupational health advice, review exposure and consider temporary task changes. Do not simply tell someone to use more cream while leaving the same contact uncontrolled. Check whether other workers share the exposure.
A rash is not automatically RIDDOR-reportable. HSE requires a doctor's diagnosis; for employees, the diagnosis must be supplied to the employer in writing. Occupational dermatitis is reportable where the person's work involves significant or regular exposure to a chemical or biological skin irritant or sensitising agent. Assess the facts against that test and keep the reporting decision separate from immediate protective action.
HSE: reportable occupational diseases ↗ · Related guide: occupational health referrals for employers →
A supervisor's skin-protection check
Legal requirements and HSE guidance checked on 16 October 2026. This guide concerns workplace arrangements in Great Britain; clinical assessment and treatment belong with appropriately qualified healthcare professionals.
- Observe wet work and contact with contaminated surfaces, not just product use.
- Remove avoidable contact and repair leaking equipment or dispensers.
- Confirm glove suitability, available sizes and replacement arrangements.
- Check washing, drying and skin-care supplies on every relevant shift.
- Explain who receives symptom reports and what happens next.
- Confirm the surveillance decision, competent support and record arrangements.
- Give corrective actions an owner and check that the working method changes.
Do not accept damaged hands as part of the job. Reduce skin contact, select protection for the real task and connect early reporting with competent assessment and action.
This guide provides general information for UK employers. It is not legal advice and should not replace advice based on the facts of a specific matter.