Occupational and workplace skin health is a challenge that many employers underestimate, not because it’s unimportant, but because it’s complicated.
Everyone’s skin is different. Everyone’s skin is important.
One person might tolerate frequent handwashing or occasional contact with detergents. Another might develop irritation after a single shift and go on to develop a full blown allergy with continued exposure. And while personal protective equipment and good hygiene practices can help reduce risk, they don’t eliminate it. Especially when skin is already compromised or sensitised.
And – as with most Occupational Diseases – skin sensitisation may have occurred at home or at work. At the very least, home life contributes to your skin’s condition, and skin condition contributes to effective work.
The real problem with skin health at work?
The problem with skin is that your skin works hard for you 24/7. Yet without suitable care on the job, damaged skin is hard to repair while still at work.
In many environments, especially “wet work” roles, the skin is constantly exposed to water, chemicals, gloves, or friction, making recovery slow or impossible unless the issue is caught early.
That’s why frequent, proactive skin assessment – as well as the right PPE – is essential. But traditionally, that’s been difficult to deliver without pulling people off the job, adding costs, or causing disruption.
Enter Skin Wizard from Health Wizard at Work: a game-changer for monitoring occupational skin health.
It allows workers to check in regularly on their own, with no supervision or training required, anytime and anywhere. It makes skin surveillance controlled, routine, low-cost, and low-disruption – exactly what’s needed to manage such a personal and variable health risk.
Skin Wizard offers two modes: surveillance mode and monitor mode.
- Surveillance mode – typically scheduled annually, this involves a full indepth questionnaire, plus photographic record using our Skin Wizard backboard
- Monitor mode – this is conducted more frequently, per your schedule – as frequently as you need. Any recent changes and a photograph are logged to ensure regular monitoring. This longitudinal record is traditionally tricky to collect in a controlled and regular manner. Now, each Skin Wizard check takes 30 seconds, and just needs our handset, the Skin Wizard backboard and a wi-fi connection. And some skin.
With Skin Wizard, you can move from reactive treatment to training, with early identification and prevention, protecting both workers and productivity. When it comes to skin health, one size doesn’t fit all, but frequent, accessible screening can make all the difference.
Contact Health Wizard at Work to schedule flexible skin assessments for your workforce.