When it comes to work-related health problems, many people might think about back issues, respiratory issues or hearing loss. Actually, skin disorders are one of the most common forms of occupational disorders in the United States. Working skin is exposed to a multitude of harmful chemical, physical and mechanical hazards, and it is vital to take effective measures to protect skin when it is likely to come into contact with cooling lubricants, grease, oil, acids and caustic solutions, detergents, cleaning agents, solvents, metallic dust and UV radiation.
All these low-grade hazards do not lead to an instant acute skin irritation, but regular skin contact with them in non-acute toxic concentrations may lead to an irritant contact dermatitis (ICD). Dry and chapped skin is the first indication of a looming skin disorder.