A review of non‐glove personal protective equipment‐related occupational dermatoses reported to EPIDERM between 1993 and 2013

Background Personal protective equipment (PPE) is defined as equipment that protects the wearer’s body against health/safety risks at work. Gloves cause many dermatoses. Non‐glove PPE constitutes a wide array of garments. Dermatoses resulting from these have hitherto not been documented. Objectives To determine the incidence and types of non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses. Patients/Methods We analysed incident case reports from dermatologists of non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses to a UK‐wide surveillance scheme (EPIDERM) between 1993 and 2013. Results The dermatoses associated with non‐glove PPE accounted for 0.84% of all occupational skin disease. Of all PPE‐related cases, 194 (9.2%) were attributable to non‐glove PPE. Of these, 132 (68.0%) occurred in men, and the median age (both male and female) was 42 years (range 18‐82 years). The non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses were diagnosed as: allergic contact dermatitis (47.4%), irritant contact dermatitis (16.0%), friction (11.3%), occlusion (11.3%), unspecified dermatitis (8.8%), acne (3.1%), infections (1.5), and contact urticaria (0.52%). The industries most associated with non‐glove PPE‐related dermatoses were manufacturing (18.6%), public administration and defence (17.0%), health and social work (15.5%), and transport, storage, and communication (9.8%). Conclusions Clothing, footwear, facemasks and headgear need to be recognized as causes of dermatoses occurring at body sites less commonly associated with occupational skin disease.