Risk Management of Occupational Hazards at the Workplace

Abstract

Risk management of occupational skin diseases at the workplace includes identification of risk groups, design of workplaces, special occupational medical care by periodical medical examinations, risk-group-related measures at the workplace, and their continuous evaluation. A reasonable risk management focuses on the job-related attributive risk (Williams 1996) of dermatoses in a given company or industry and, i.e., not on the elimination of any substance that can rarely cause allergies. The chances of risk management depend on the risks themselves, the organization of the work, the size of the business, and the quality of management and occupational medical care. In contrast with many other occupational diseases, occupational skin diseases are not hidden at first. Because they are visible to the subject and his colleagues, with signs on the hands/forearms and/or face, success or failure of preventive measures is also obvious to all participants.