Cleaning is physical and involves chemistry and wet work. Here are the real occupational safety requirements: when something is 'wet work', how to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and one-sided repetitive work, what applies for solitary and evening work, and what the AVP should contain for a cleaning team.
Introduction
Cleaning work strains the body and involves both chemistry and wet work. It is also a trade with much solo and evening work. Good prevention is about knowing the actual risks, implementing measures in the right order and documenting it in the workplace risk assessment (APV).
Wet work and skin stress
'Wet work' is a defined concept with the Working Environment Authority because it is precisely the most common cause of work-related hand eczema. Work is considered wet when at least one of these is met over a working day:
- 01The skin is wet for more than 2 hours in total.
- 02Wearing liquid-proof (occlusive) gloves for more than 2 hours in total — under the glove the skin becomes sweaty and wet.
- 03Hands are washed more than about 20 times a day.
Water and frequent hand-washing dries out the skin's protective outer layer, so it becomes easier for chemicals to penetrate — wet work thus amplifies the damaging effect of chemical agents. Prevention is to reduce wet work, use gloves correctly (clean, dry, no longer than necessary, preferably cotton inner glove for prolonged use) and moisturise the skin. If hand eczema is detected that the doctor assesses is work-related, it must be reported as an occupational disease.
For caustic or allergy-causing agents, the gloves must also be impermeable to that specific substance — check SDS section 8 (exposure control/protective equipment), as not all glove types protect against all chemicals.
Choose the glove material based on the chemistry (SDS section 8)
Gloves are not just »gloves«. The material determines which chemicals the glove actually keeps out, and a glove that is suitable for one product can be almost useless against another. Data sheet point 8 and the manufacturer's chemical resistance guide (gloves for chemicals are marked according to EN ISO 374) tell which type and thickness is suitable for the specific product — and how long it lasts (breakthrough time). The overview below is a rough material overview, not a product selection:
| Glove material | Often suitable against | Less suitable / avoid | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrile | Oil and grease, many degreasers, diluted acids and bases | Certain strong solvents (e.g. acetone and other ketones) | The usual choice in cleaning; disposable nitrile is thin and only for brief splash protection, not immersion. |
| Latex (natural rubber) | Aqueous acids and bases and alcohols | Oil, fat and most solvents | Can cause latex allergy — choose powder-free or another material for known allergy. |
| Vinyl (PVC) | Clean, non-hazardous tasks and short-term use | Solvents and strong chemistry | Weak chemical barrier; cheap disposable glove for light tasks. |
| Neoprene (chloroprene) | Acids, bases, alcohols and some oxidising agents | Some chlorinated solvents | More versatile than nitrile, but more expensive. |
| Butyl | Ketones, esters and polar solvents as well as gases | Aliphatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons | Special gloves for specific chemicals — rare in regular cleaning. |
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