Glossary → Occupational dermatitis
Occupational dermatitis.
work-caused inflammation of the skin, in a print room almost always on the hands
HSE puts it plainly: the majority of work-related skin diseases are dermatitis, and when it shows up on the hands, contact dermatitis should always be the first suspicion. Two mechanisms produce it. Irritant contact dermatitis is cumulative damage, and the print-room culprit is usually not the ink but the cleanup, because solvent wipes, screen wash and repeated hand-washing strip the skin's lipids faster than they regenerate. Allergic contact dermatitis is the other route, and it does not reverse, which is why the isothiazolinone preservatives in water-based inks and pretreats are worth taking seriously before anyone reacts. HSE is equally blunt about the shortcut most shops reach for first: there are no true barrier creams. An operator with cracked hands cannot hoop, pull a squeegee or handle a white tee, and switching ink afterwards does not undo a sensitisation.