Strategies for prevention: occupational contact dermatitis

The economic consequence of occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) is considerable and impacts on an individual's quality of life. There are a range of prevention strategies, which include: elimination or substitution of harmful exposures; technical control measures; personal protection; identification of susceptible individuals; and education, training and health surveillance. Each one has been shown to have varying degrees of success in reducing OCD, but further work is required to evaluate the effectiveness of preventive measures in the workplace. OCD is not considered a high priority in most affected industries and therefore the development of health and safety policies to reduce its prevalence should be encouraged, although guidance and assistance would be required, because all employees are entitled to a safe working environment.