work-provided PPE - allergic reaction

chubsta

I work in a pretty dirty environment, and as a result my employer insists we wear the gloves they provide (PPE = personal protective equipment), they also provide cleaning facilities.

All great, however, i am suffering a strong allergic reaction on my hands to the material used in the gloves and the cleaning materials, resulting in blistering, cracked skin, swelling, itching, the works...

I have filled in the relevant forms at work to notify them of the problem, and the only thing they have done is say i must wear a 2nd type of glove that they provide, which would be ok were it not for the fact that the 2nd type are far to big and bulky to allow me to do my job! I am also unable to wear latex gloves under the original gloves as they would be too tight.

Im not out to get anything from this, i just want to be able to do the job ok, so am quite happy to provide my own gloves and soaps, however the employer is extremely strict about what we use, and as we have all signed risk-assessments which state we will only use officially approved and provided clothing etc then if i was to have any type of accident whilst wearing my own stuff i would be screwed.

Any and all advice great fully received as i feel a bit stuck - my employer is very hot on H&S so i can see why the restrictions on using your own stuff is in place but its not really helping me at the moment...

liney

Aren't latex gloves stretchy; why would they be too tight? Have you actually tried them?

chubsta

liney wrote: »

Aren't latex gloves stretchy; why would they be too tight? Have you actually tried them?

the latex gloves are fine in themselves, in fact we have to wear them for various aspects of the job, but its not feasible to really wear them under the gloves i need to wear to do most of my work as they themselves are very tight - needed because a lot of the work is 'touch-based' - and the latex gloves on their own would tear too easily - complicated!

So, basically, we have 3 types of gloves for different jobs, none of which can be 'combined' to do the main job well, and there is still the issue of the cleansing materials used, although i think that could be the main issue (although i did stop wearing the gloves for a few days and the problem cleared up, i then washed my hands at work and immediately had the problems)

dickydonkin

chubsta wrote: »

I work in a pretty dirty environment, and as a result my employer insists we wear the gloves they provide (PPE = personal protective equipment), they also provide cleaning facilities.

All great, however, i am suffering a strong allergic reaction on my hands to the material used in the gloves and the cleaning materials, resulting in blistering, cracked skin, swelling, itching, the works...

I have filled in the relevant forms at work to notify them of the problem, and the only thing they have done is say i must wear a 2nd type of glove that they provide, which would be ok were it not for the fact that the 2nd type are far to big and bulky to allow me to do my job! I am also unable to wear latex gloves under the original gloves as they would be too tight.

Im not out to get anything from this, i just want to be able to do the job ok, so am quite happy to provide my own gloves and soaps, however the employer is extremely strict about what we use, and as we have all signed risk-assessments which state we will only use officially approved and provided clothing etc then if i was to have any type of accident whilst wearing my own stuff i would be screwed.

Any and all advice great fully received as i feel a bit stuck - my employer is very hot on H&S so i can see why the restrictions on using your own stuff is in place but its not really helping me at the moment...

You have highlighted the disadvantages of personal protective equipment and why PPE is a last resort in the heirarchy of controlling hazards for very good reasons.

If your employer was 'very hot' on health and safety, then he should be looking at ways of eliminating or at least reducing the risks that are inherent within your workplace - rather than going down the cheaper option of throwing in a pair of gloves and getting you to signing a disclaimer - which incidentally it isn't. Your signature does not eradicate your employers statutory requirements.

I would ask your employer to contact the many suppliers of PPE and cleaning products and ask for samples of gloves and cleaning materials. I find that they will generally oblige.

I appreciate that the PPE your need for your particular workplace may need to conform to a BS/EN standard, but that does not stop you from trying different types of products that will be more comfortable for you and still satisfy those requirements.

Collective controls that protects everyone is far effective than having to rely upon an individual to wear uncomfortable PPE that does not allow him to do his work properly - a situation that could actually increase the risk of injury.

Have a word and explain your situation - getting samples will not cost him anything.

Edit to add.

(although i did stop wearing the gloves for a few days and the problem cleared up, i then washed my hands at work and immediately had the problems)

It may not be the gloves.

I wonder if your problem is caused by your hands constantly sweating when you are wearing the gloves? This may occur if you wear heavy duty rubber type gloves. When hands are moist for prolonged periods, this could cause dermatitis or the symptoms you describe.

You can get a very thin cotton type glove that can be worn inside a larger glove and will still allow sufficient dexterity and keep your hands dry-although again, without knowing your particular circumstances, it is difficult to suggest an ideal solution, although it sounds like moisture or the cleaning material may be causing the reaction.

katz03

Also, have you tried using a good barrier cream?

wonderpupp

As the H&S Person where I used to work, I made sure everyone had the proper gloves for the work they did.

One apprentice had an allergic reaction to the latex gloves, so we got a box of non-latex gloves in a size medium for him (the standard were just size large)

OK so from an employers point of view, it's a pain in the bum to have to get 7 different types of gloves on the stock list, but at the end of the day, it's got to be done if the guys doing the actual work can do so more efficiently without the fingers of the gloves getting caught in the bushes etc and ripping gloves, or an allergic reaction.

If you can find a reasonably priced glove you can use for the work, I STRONGLY advise you get the first pair to try out (to make sure they are fit for purpose) and if they are good, ask your supervisor / storeman to get some in for you.
Or ask for a smaller size glove of the right type - I bet they are all size Large, and you probably only need a medium glove. And there are probably other workers who could do with the smaller gloves too.

Good luck!

Sambucus_Nigra

What gloves are the ones that are causing the problems? [can you post a link to them?]

CupOfChai

The OP could almost be me! I also had a problem with an allergy to protective gloves I had to wear at work.

Have you pointed out to the employer that you can't do your work with the other gloves? Unless specifically pointed out then it might not occur to them that those gloves are too bulky to perform those tasks.

Are they "nitrile" gloves you use? If so have you tried an "accelerator-free" type? These are the same as the normal kind but are made in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of allergic skin rashes occurring. I wouldn't say you should get the first pair yourself, especially as you say you have to use what's provided and not your own things. I'd say to ask them to get just one pack so you can try them, then if you are ok with them they can order more as needed.

However, keep an open mind as it might not be the gloves, if you use soaps etc that are provided for washing it could well be that.
I'm sure you know about the main thing you can do which is to try to eliminate use of one thing at a time, then reintroduce one thing at a time and try to note what you have used on days when you feel your skin is flaring up. Try to find a pattern to the reaction. Also if you have not done already see your doctor and see whether you can be referred for an allergy skin test, to try and identify what substances you are allergic to, then you can avoid anything containing them.

ETA - to the person who mentioned very thin cotton gloves, are the ones you mean the same as the thin white cotton gloves you can get from places like Boots?

misskool

If you are wearing nitrile gloves, and they are the ones causing the reaction, you can try different brands of the same gloves. Some companies wash the moulds the gloves are made on and thus have less accelerator, which causes the allergic reaction.

Although, you may also be allergic to some of the cleaning products, what type of soaps, do you have one with a spermicide disinfectant? If so, you can swap to another one with will be less allergenic.

And finally, sounds really weird but using talc to mop up the sweat while you are working will help.

I also wear those moisturising gloves when I'm out of work.

If none of these solutions appeal, you should be able to request an occupational health appointment to try and see where the problem is.

Sambucus_Nigra

CupOfChai wrote: »

ETA - to the person who mentioned very thin cotton gloves, are the ones you mean the same as the thin white cotton gloves you can get from places like Boots?

That's what I was going to suggest, but only once I knew that they were suitable hence asking what type of gloves were causing the problem.

CupOfChai

I'm also unsure if wearing cotton gloves under the work gloves would be a suitable solution for the OP, as they say the work they do needs gloves that still allow them as much sensitivity to touch.

Just noticed someone suggested using barrier cream. I would be very careful about the use of any creams, as depending on what sorts of cream and glove they are the cream may degrade the gloves, lessening the level of protection they give.