Working in factories or any other place where you can get in contact with chemicals, dangerous substances, germs, and bacteria can be harmful to your skin and cause several types of diseases and allergies. In order to avoid such work-related skin allergies, it’s very important to take proper care of yourself and do everything necessary to prevent your skin from getting in contact with dangerous substances. Below, we’ll discuss some common work-related skin diseases and how you can protect yourself from becoming prone to them. So, with no further delay, let’s begin!
Common Work-Related Skin Diseases:
There are several work-related skin diseases that can badly affect your skin by damaging its look, feel, and color. Many times, these diseases or allergies can be very painful and can make it hard for you to do your work. Here are some of the most common work-related skin diseases that you can suffer from:
1) Contact Dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is the most common type of occupational skin disease. Around 70% of cases of people who get work-related skin diseases are of the same disease. Contact dermatitis is further divided into two major types, i.e. irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis. Irritant contact dermatitis is more common than allergic contact dermatitis. Another form of contact dermatitis is made from the mixture of both its types and is known as “irritant plus allergic contact dermatitis”.
The disease is commonly caused when the skin gets in contact with chemicals or other hazardous substances. The affected area becomes inflamed, and you feel irritation and itchiness on the skin of that particular area. By clinical examinations, it’s hard to differentiate whether you’re affected by an irritant or allergic contact dermatitis.
2) Tetanus
Tetanus is an infection that’s caused when bacteria, known as “Clostridium Tetani” enter the human body. These bacteria produce a poison that can contract human muscles and cause pain in them. Usually, the disease starts from the mouth and jaw, then spreads to the whole body. That’s the reason, the disease is also named the “lockjaw disease”, as it locks the mouth and the jaw, making it too difficult to open them.
3) Calluses
When your skin repeatedly gets in contact with something, it gets hard and starts looking ugly. This bad-looking, hard, and painful skin is called a callus. Calluses are common to people who work hard, like weight lifters, metalworkers, laborers, etc. The primary cause of a callus is friction, and to prevent this disease, it’s mandatory to avoid direct friction with your skin.
4) Acne
Acne is a skin problem that is caused when the skin interacts with oil or grease. The skin cells become dead, and small pimples occur on that specific part. Commonly, these pimples occur on the face of a person which is quite painful and unbearable.
How You Can Protect Yourself from Work-Related Skin Diseases?
Skin is the largest organ of the human body and also one of the most delicate ones. Hence, it’s very important to take proper care of it. People who work in industries like construction, manufacturing, food production, machine operating, leather production, farming, have more chances to get their skin damaged. Here are some tips, following which you can protect yourself from work-related skin diseases.
1) Wear PPEs
Wearing PPEs at work can keep you safe from various types of work hazards, including skin injuries and diseases. If you work at a place where chemicals or other hazardous substances are used that can harm your skin, we suggest you use high-quality PPE to protect yourself. The most common personal protective equipments that are used for work purposes include leather gloves for hand protection (especially nitrile gloves), helmets for head protection, safety shoes to protect feet, air filters or masks to prevent dangerous particles from entering our lungs when breathing, and a full protective dress that can keep your whole body safe. If you’re looking for high-quality leather gloves, you may look into the options provided by Elite Leather, as their products are durable and available at the best rates.
2) Keep the Workplace Clean
While working, many times you don’t know when your skin gets in contact with something dangerous. Keeping the workplace neat and clean will prevent this, and avoid almost all sorts of allergies and diseases, including skin problems. Not only this, but you’ll also feel good when working and your capacity to do work will also increase at a high rate. That’s why all the well-known and high-profile companies pay special attention to the cleanliness of their workplaces.
3) Keep Chemicals Away
If you work anywhere, where it isn’t too important to be always near to chemicals, we suggest you keep them away from you. Doing this will decrease the chances of your skin getting in contact with chemicals, and you’ll remain safe from skin problems.
4) Throw the Waste
If you keep waste for a longer period in the dustbin or anywhere else, it decays, and several types of germs and bacteria are formed in it. These germs and bacteria can spread through the air and interact with your skin, causing various types of diseases and allergies. Therefore, if you want to remain healthy, we suggest you throw the waste or hand it over to the janitor as soon as possible.
5) Make Water Available Everywhere
Water is an essential thing that can keep you protected from multiple types of diseases, as it helps you to clean yourself, especially by washing hands and splashing it to your face and eyes. In workplaces, it’s very important that you make it available everywhere so that you can wash your hands multiple times a day in order to keep them clean and avoid skin diseases.
6) Wear Clean Clothes
Often, people don’t care about how many days they’ve passed working in the same clothes. It’s absolutely wrong and can be a reason to invite multiple diseases, including skin issues. Keep wearing the same clothes for too many days make them too dirty and a house of germs. If you want to remain healthy and in working condition, it’s mandatory that you wear clean clothes and keep them changing every day.
7) Avoid Using Chemicals to Clean Your Skin
Human skin is delicate, using chemicals to clean it can cause skin allergies. If you work somewhere where your skin gets dirty many times a day, you can use an ample amount of water and good quality soap to clean it, but you must avoid using chemicals if you care about your skin.
8) Use Sunscreen when Working Outdoor
People who work outdoors often get prone to sunburn. These sunburns can cause irritation to your skin and make it dark as well. We suggest using sunscreen in order to avoid these burns and keep your skin in a good condition.
These were some tips to protect yourself from work-related skin diseases. Following this guide can be very helpful for you to avoid skin-related work hazards. We suggest you remember these points and make them your habit if you work in such industries.
Author Bio:
Sibtain Haider, a content contributor at Mainstream Pakistan, associated with trading and digital marketing. Presently working at Digital Eggheads, a well-reputed digital marketing agency in Pakistan.