Hand Care

Individuals will have different levels of resistance to hand care products; most will suffer no ill effect while others may suffer skin irritation or even dermatitis. As a food handler, regular hand washing is essential and needs to be encouraged so the soap must be pleasant to use. Dermatitis is a common condition that can affect workers in many industries. The signs are redness, swelling, blistering, flaking and cracking of the skin. This dermatitis (or eczema) is caused by contact with certain chemicals. The skin acts as a barrier and if damaged will lose its ability to protect, and irritation will occur. The irritation can be caused by direct damage to the skin or by sensitisation to a chemical. In the latter case this involves an immune system reaction. Operatives working within a food production area may wash and sanitise their hands many times throughout the working day. All detergents contain surface-active agents (surfactants), which are designed to remove debris; regular and prolonged washing can remove some of the protein and fats in the protective layer of the skin surface.

Hand Soap
Hand soaps are formulated to minimise damage to the skin and good quality hand soaps contain ingredients to remoisturise the skin and therefore help maintain the skins elasticity and hydration and its ability to act as a natural barrier. Hand soaps are available in the form of a bar, liquid and foam. Bar soaps are difficult to manage in the food industry and look very unprofessional. Generally liquid soaps are used from wall-mounted dispensers with some dispensers being refillable and other systems using replaceable sealed cartridges. Soaps can be a good growth medium for bacteria; refillable soap dispensers can easily become contaminated and subsequently grow high populations of bacteria. Good quality hand soaps should have preservatives built into them to reduce the risk of bacterial growth. The replaceable sealed cartridge dispenser with integral pump mechanism ensures that the soap is dispensed free from contamination and also removes the potential of clumsy and messy refilling of containers.

Barrier Creams
Barriers creams (sometimes known as prework creams) reduce the physical action of a specific substance on the skin. They should never be considered to provide 100% protection but can in certain circumstances provide an additional level of skin protection. Barrier creams are not generally used prior to food production because of the risk of food contamination by the cream.

Remoisturisers
It is recommended when leaving the production areas operatives wash their hands then use a remoisturiser to help rehydrate the skin surface. After work creams or remoisturisers help replace moisture and temporarily restore the barrier effect of the skin; thereby allowing the natural remoisturisation of the skin to take place. Remoisturisers should not be applied prior to direct food handling because of the risk of food contamination.

Hand Sanitisers
Hand sanitisers have traditionally been based on alcohol, although some products are alcohol free. The solution is rubbed into the hands after thorough washing and drying and allowed to evaporate on the hands. The hand sanitiser, which may be an alcohol only or in combination with a biocide, provides a further reduction in microorganisms on the skin surface. Alcohol based hand sanitisers often contain an emollient system that helps reduce the drying of the skin caused by the alcohol.