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Research Article: Prospective Study on the Influence of Occupational Hand Protection Products on the Efficacy of Hand Disinfection

Date Published: 2024-03-13

Abstract:
Background: To prevent occupational skin diseases, employees are instructed to periodically apply hand protection products as a barrier to protect their hands from water, cleaning agents or other irritants. The aim of this work was to investigate whether bacteria present on the skin at the time of protection product application are enclosed underneath this protective layer, if they can be transferred to other surfaces and if a standard isopropanol-based skin disinfectant can nonetheless reduce the bacterial burden. Methods: This prospective study was conducted in human volunteers based on the European Standard (EN 1500) to assess the burden of microorganisms before and after the application of various protection product formulations and subsequent hand disinfection. Results: All protection products, with the exception of alcohol-based gels, enclosed bacteria underneath a lipid layer which could be transferred onto other surfaces. Still, the hand disinfectant efficiently reduced the bacteria burden. Discussion: In occupations where proper hand hygiene is vital, alcohol-based gels might be the best option for the protection of the skin barrier as well as for reducing the contamination risk. Conclusion: An alcohol-based disinfection agent can dissolve the lipid film of protection products following the standard protocol for hygienic hand disinfection.

Introduction:
According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), dermatologic conditions are among the most prevalent occupational diseases affecting a wide variety of professions, especially hairdressers and cosmetologists, healthcare workers, food handlers, cleaning staff, craftspeople and related professions. The occupational risk factors associated with skin barrier damage are multiple; include wearing gloves, frequent hand washing, cleaning agents or other irritants; and are based on prolonged…

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