Workers' comp claims for occupational skin diseases (OSDs) are common and costly for employers, but up to 40 per cent of the thousands of workers regularly exposed to chemicals or wet work have not been provided with proper safety training, according to Safe Work Australia.

In a summary paper on two new reports on chemical exposure and dermatitis, and a report on wet work released last year (see below for links to the reports), SWA says there were 10,730 workers' compensation claims for occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) and similar conditions in Australia in the nine years to 2009.

Of these, 3760 involved absences from work of one week or more, and, in 2008/09, a "typical" payment for a serious claim was about $3000.

But it is believed the data underestimate the problem, the paper says.

There is "little information available on the occupationally relevant substances that cause or contribute to OSD and/or OCD", and "there is no mandatory reporting of OSD", it says.

Workers lack chemical knowledge

According to SWA, about 37 per cent of the 4500 workers who responded to the 2008 National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance reported having skin contact with chemicals in the week preceding the survey.

About 13 per cent performed tasks that required excessive hand washing or immersing their hands in liquids.

But while a high percentage of workers who were exposed to either chemicals or wet work were provided with gloves (82% and 75% respectively), fewer than 62 per cent received relevant safety training.

"Many workers appear to be unaware of their specific chemical exposures," the report says.

It also says that fewer than one in three (32%) workplaces placed daily time restrictions - the "most effective" control - on exposure to wet work.

Offending substances and at-risk workers

The main hazards or substances linked to OSDs are wet work, detergents, disinfectants, solvents, fuels/oils/coolants, rubber accelerators, bases, and alkalis including hairdressing bleach, cement and potassium dichromate in leather, the SWA paper says.

The main industries "of concern" are construction; agriculture, forestry and fishing; hospitality; and health and community services.

Tradespersons, labourers, healthcare workers, hair and beauty workers, and food handlers are particularly vulnerable.

Small workplaces are less likely to provide controls for wet work or dermal chemical exposure than larger ones.

For more information see:

• National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance: Chemical exposure and the provision of chemical exposure control measures in Australian workplaces;
• Occupational Contact Dermatitis: A review of 18 years of data from an occupational dermatology clinic in Australia; and
• National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance: Exposure of hands and arms to wet work and the provision of wet work control measures in Australian workplaces.