To keep skin healthy and prevent the risk of work related skin disease, hand washing alone is not enough. Employees should use pre-work protection creams as well as after work restoration creams as part of a daily skin care routine.
To combat this, Deb, a leading innovator and supplier of skin care products and hand hygiene solutions, has created the Deb Stoko range of specialist protect and restore creams for use in the workplace.
The expansive range aims to protect the skin from exposure to arduous substances in the workplace, consequently reducing the risk of occupational skin disease for employees. It is crucial that health and safety managers understand the risk that failing to adhere to best hand hygiene practice poses for employees' skin, particularly the hands.
Every day, hands are exposed to challenging substances in the workplace such as grease, oil, detergents and soapy water. It is estimated that just one in ten employees, faced with these difficult conditions, follows best hand hygiene practice in the workplace. Failing to do so can lead to the diagnosis of occupational skin disease.
For employees, the consequence is particularly costly; both in terms of a loss of income due to increased absenteeism from work, as well as the impact that it has on their personal life and self-esteem.
When an employee contracts an occupational skin disease, it can be costly for employers too. Not only can it lead to poor publicity for a company, but productivity and profit margins are also affected by increased employee absence and, in some cases, businesses can face compensation claims.
Deb has created a unique skin care programme to help health and safety managers implement structured skin management procedures into the workplace. A healthy skin workplace requires a safety mind-set where employees provide staff with specialist pre-work creams before coming into contact with challenging substances. Formulated to leave a protective layer on the surface of the skin, they protect the skin from hazardous substances and physical contaminants.
Deb also advises that employers provide their staff with appropriate restore creams, to be used after cleansing the hands at the end of each day. These products work by moisturising and conditioning the skin, improving its strength. This ensures that the skin doesn't become dry, sore and chapped, leading to occupational skin disease.
Paul Jakeway, marketing director at Deb UK, said: "Occupational skin disease is a serious health issue which affects an organisation's efficiency and the health and well-being of its employees."
"The importance of effective hand creams must be highlighted to employers and employees. With Deb's expansive range of Protect and Restore creams, the requirements of all end users are met, and the likelihood of occupational skin disease is significantly minimised."
In addition to providing the most expansive range of occupational skin care products available on the market, Deb also provides workplaces with a range of product dispensers, training and supporting educational materials to ensure hand hygiene compliance is adhered to.
