Prevalence and incidence

The majority of occupational dermatoses consist of contact dermatitis. Irritant contact derma titis is extremely common; it is reported to be as high as 55% in people with certain occupations (e.g. health care workers and those working in catering, cleaning and hairdressing). Contact aller gic dermatitis affects 1–2% of the general UK population (English, 1999).

Risk and trigger factors
These include:

• atopic eczema (current or a history of childhood atopic eczema)
• occupations with a high exposure to allergens
• occupations where repeated hand washing is essential