Take Time to Care for Your Hands

Details

• Personal Author:
  Backus A
• Description:
  Recently, several lobstermen have reported painful and uncomfortable problems with their hands, such as infections, rashes, and significant peeling. Although it is beyond the scope of this column to diagnose these hand ailments, we can offer some hand protection tips. Multiple layers of epithelial (skin) cells provide a strong barrier against infection. Aiding this barrier are several mechanisms of "decontamination" that are constantly at work in healthy skin. First, the top layer of cells is constantly sloughing-off, taking with it organisms and toxins that have landed there. Second, there are actually "helpful" organisms, bacteria for example, which reside on our skin and may secrete substances that make it difficult for harmful bacteria to survive. Third, secretions of sweat and unsaturated fatty acids create an acid environment that discourages the growth of infection-causing pathogens. When the skin is healthy, all of these mechanisms prevent pathogens from penetrating into the deeper layers of the epithelium. However, fishing is a hostile environment for skin in general and hands in particular. In a recent study of commercial fishermen in the Northeast Atlantic and Barents Sea, published in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health (2003), the Royal Norwegian Coast Guard found that "hand and finger injuries accounted for 35% of all injuries." Fishermen's hands are subject to: lacerations from rope, wire, and metal parts; crushing in winches and between heavy gear such as trawl doors; punctures from nails, fish hooks, fish fins, lobster claws, and urchin spines; and abrasions from handling traps, rope, crushed ice, and more. Injuries such as these destroy the natural protective ability of the skin by providing a route for bacteria and viruses to enter and cause infection. Also, cold water temperatures can affect peripheral nerves in the hand and hands that are constantly wet lose the protective acid covering of skin secretions. Long exposure to sunlight is harmful to skin as well. Further, the hands of lobstermen are subjected to the unique environment of the bait box. One bait dealer reported that his herring is packed in ice containing 20% salt and redfish is preserved in a brine containing 25% salt. This high salt content is "hyperosmotic" relative to skin cells. That means it draws fluid from the skin cells and causes them to become overly dry, resulting in cracking. This could easily account for the peeling skin some fishermen experience on their hands. And although iced, bait undoubtedly harbors bacteria that can get into the deeper layers of cells through breaks in the skin. Many fishermen wear gloves to protect their hands, but gloves can end up keeping the hands wet, and, over time, the cotton lining can become abrasive as a result of trapped sand and aging cloth. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Hunting Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Skin Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Bacteria Dermal Exposures Exposure Levels Fishing Fishing Industry Gloves Hand Injuries Hand Protection Injuries Protective Measures Risk Factors Skin Infections Skin Irritants Upper Extremities Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  0273-6713
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061915
• Citation:
  Commercial Fish News 2004 Mar; :24A
• Contact Point Address:
  Ann Backus, MS, Director of Outreach, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston MA
• Email:
  abackus@hohp.harvard.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2004
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20030701
• Source Full Name:
  Commercial Fisheries News
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3223259925fb2f1e548047b98b8a6ffe95f45ac2538de812aec6aa5139f51091bdd7d80015c40eb94408064156d1c32fc7c757719d292bb7801a33e2fef7f24d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225260/cdc_225260_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 320.35 KB ]