Page 31 - Occupational Health & Safety, November 2017

By limiting hand functionality, perspiration may hinder a worker’s ability to perform certain job functions or cause him or her to change gloves more frequently.
balanced pH level provide unwanted op- portunities for bacteria and other external contaminants to enter the skin, causing further irritation.
It doesn’t get any better when gloves are removed. Compromised skin is exposed to a dramatic fluctuation in temperature as well as a much more arid environment. Workers in the medical, dental, and veteri- nary fields are more susceptible to this pat- tern of glove donning and removal and the subsequent irritation because a new pair of gloves is typically required as each new patient is seen. This volatile combination leads to increases in skin irritation, such as dryness, chapping and cracking, that can lead to more serious conditions such as chronic contact dermatitis, one of the most commonly reported occupational diseases. It stems from frequent interaction with the skin and a harsh environment that pro- duces dry, itchy, irritated areas around the points of contact, such as prolonged expo- sure to an occlusive environment. This can not only be detrimental to the health of the worker, but also extremely costly to the em-
of the most common skin irritants in a glove-protected environment, especially when that moisture stays on the skin for long periods of time.
The tight, hot environment inside sin- gle-use gloves is a major cause of sweat and irritation for users in every industry. To say wetness in a single-use glove is uncomfort- able is an understatement. Not only does it hinder your ability to perform certain job functions by limiting your dexterity, tactil- ity, and mobility, it also can become a safety hazard because some workers will forego gloves altogether rather than deal with the sticky, oppressive feeling of a wet glove.
Standard single-use gloves provide a non-permeable barrier that safely protects workers’ hands in light-duty work environ- ments. However, they also create a highly undesirable result—a harsh occlusive en- vironment between the glove and hand that yields a new set of risks for the wearer: Lack of airflow inhibits proper regulation of the skin environment, glove friction from repeatedly rubbing against the skin harms the upper skin layers, and higher temperatures within the glove increase per- spiration and discomfort. Additionally, this occlusive environment serves as a breed- ing ground for bacteria, fungus, and other nasty elements that can negatively impact your hand’s health.
Over time, health risks for workers from uncomfortable single-use gloves can greatly decrease productivity, encourage more frequent workplace safety violations, and increase the risk of significant medi- cal issues, all of which lead to much higher costs for employers. By limiting hand func- tionality, perspiration may hinder a work- er’s ability to perform certain job functions, or cause him or her to change gloves more frequently. Yet repeatedly alternating from a wet to dry environment, such as by don- ning and removing several pairs of gloves a day, exacerbates skin irritation. Some workers may forego wearing protection en- tirely rather than endure the clammy, suf- focating feeling of a wet glove, dramatically increasing the risk of safety issues and the potential for worker injuries.
Even if workers endure this discomfort,
deeper skin damage and irritation may oc- cur from prolonged exposure to this occlu- sive, sweaty environment. Hand skin layers can become macerated, reducing the skin’s ability to react defensively to external sub- stances and exposing the skin to even more serious afflictions. As moisture stays on the skin, natural barrier components such as essential lipids are stripped away, leaving the skin more exposed to the harmful el- ements that thrive in a warm, moist envi- ronment. At a deeper level, individual cell function is disrupted as the excessive mois- ture penetrates down into the dermal lay- ers, preventing the skin from adequately re- producing and rejuvenating. In its normal state, the skin has a low permeability rate, but as barrier function is compromised, that rate begins to increase, exposing the skin to more irritants. The prolonged moisture, increased temperature, and un-
www.ohsonline.com
Circle 29 on card.
27