Health And Safety At Work Unaffected By The Current Harsh Economic Climate
In this hard economic climate, corporations are taking a long hard look at every aspect of their spending and costs
. Understandably, where waste and unnecessary expense can be identified, executives are being ruthless in cutting back.
In spite of wholesale cutbacks elsewhere, current statistics indicate that corporate bodies seem to be maintaining their spend per head on workplace skin protection measures. Dermatitis and dry skin conditions are an on-going problem for many trades and professions.
In the United Kingdom, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) is the legislation that employers must observe in regards to work related dermatitis. One may be forgiven in regarding these regulations as just another rung in the ladder of red tape bureaucracy that employers need to climb in order to conduct their business - this is not the case, though.
The legal framework that covers health and safety in the workplace not only benefits employees, strictly observing the regulations often results in increased productivity.
Those most at risk from workplace induced dermatitis and its associated industrial related injuries are found in the florist, hairdressing dental, printing, catering and textile processing industries. But almost any occupation that involves handling epoxy resins, latex, rubber chemicals, soaps and cleaners, metalworking fluids, cement, enzymes and wood can give cause to dermatitis.
Solvents, corrosive and irritating chemicals also play a part in work related skin problems. Such substances rarely are the direct cause of dermatitis in themselves. However, they can act as a aggravating factor where an incidence of dermatitis already exists.
Those engaged in "wet work" are also susceptible to skin problems. Wet work is where the the employee's hands require frequent washing or prolonged immersion in water throughout the working day. This often gives rise to the problem of dry skin.
In the United Kingdom it is estimated that 16,000 suffer from dermatitis that is caused or exacerbated by their work - reference: Health & Safety Executive Labour Force Survey 2008/09. Past data collections have illustrated that staff absence, due to skin damage, is in the area of 250,000 lost working days per year - reference: Health & Safety Executive Labour Force Survey 2001/02.
Estimates of the yearly cost to employees from lost working days are in the region of 20 million pounds sterling. In the current tough economic climate, that is twenty million reasons not to trim back on occupational skin protection.
Interestingly, one skin care product manufacturer proprietor recently reported: "Despite the recession our sales figures have increased by 16% year on year." Their customer base includes bricklayers, electricians, hairdressers, industrial engineers, kitchen professionals, lab technicians, mechanics and print workers. Even though many of these trades have seen a marked downturn in the last few years, skin care awareness and responsibilities has been maintained.
The same source gave this explanation: "As organisations have downsized during the economical turbulence, I believe that they still recognise the true cost advantages of safeguarding their skilled workers. With a reduced and more efficient workforce it is more important than ever to reduce absenteeism attributable to avoidable skin problems."
Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, is the front line defence employed against occupational related skin problems. However, there will always be the possibility of PPE failure, for example incidences where protective gloves split.
There are also some trades where the wearing of PPE is sometimes hard to enforce. A classic example of this is the car maintenance trade. Here, mechanics often neglect to use the protective gloves that their employers readily make available. These mechanics may find wearing gloves inconvenient and, in some cases, the latex material is itself a source of skin irritation.
There is a variety of industrial strength skin protectant barrier cream products available today. These are not intended to replace conventional protection but may be used as a fail safe under protective clothing.
When choosing a barrier cream, look for one that will not clog or feel uncomfortable on the skin or leave it feeling slippery.
The latest innovation in skin protectants are those that are applied as a mousse. Such mousse based product are easier to apply and dry quickly.
As a further safeguard, always make sure that the product you choose is non-toxic and free from perfumes and other additives that may cause skin irritation. As an added bonus, look for products that possess antipuritic and moisturising qualities. This will help alleviate any existing irritation and maintain a healthy epidermis.
Employers are increasingly regarding a fail safe skin protectant not as a luxury but rather as an investment that yields an impressive return on the initial outlay.
by:Peter Friswell
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Health And Safety At Work Unaffected By The Current Harsh Economic Climate Anaheim