ABSTRACT
An occupational dermatitis is a dermatitis that occurs wholly or partly due to a person’s work. Skin disease accounts for approximately 30% of all occupational diseases and most of this presents as hand dermatitis. The incidence of occupational skin disease is 0.5-0.7 cases per 1000 workers per year in the Netherlands (1) and is estimated at 5-19 per 100,000 full-time workers per year in Bavaria (2). Age and sex are not themselves risk factors but are associated with different patterns of exposure. Therefore women, who have a greater exposure to wet work at home and at work as hairdressers, nurses, cleaners, etc., have a greater incidence of hand eczema (3).
