Risk Assessment for Occupational Skin Exposure

The process of assessing the risks to health from exposure to chemicals is a key step in ensuring that work is safe. It requires the systematic collection of information about the work activities, the hazardous substances used or produced during the work, and the steps that have been taken to protect the worker. Skin exposure is a major route of exposure for chemicals into the body, and it may also cause local effects such as dermatitis or skin cancer. This chapter sets out the general approach that should be taken in assessing risks from skin exposure and the approaches that can be taken to help improve the reliability of exposure assessments, including the use of measurements or modelling of skin exposure.