The State of the Heavy-Duty Hand Cleanser

Industrial workers frequently come into contact with a variety of contaminants and dirt, resulting in need of regular daily handwashing. Constant handwashing can lead to dehydrated and cracked skin, early symptoms of a common condition known as dermatitis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 90-95% of occupational skin disorders are related to contact dermatitis, with irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) accounting for 80% of cases.

ICD is caused by repeated contact with hazardous workplace substances and can be exacerbated by using heavy duty hand cleansers and/or solvents that are harsh to the skin. It begins with redness and irritation, with occasional swelling. Over time, employees in the industrial sector perceive this issue to be a routine or acceptable side effect of manual work, which has contributed to a tolerance of unreported and untreated painful skin conditions. It’s estimated that the total annual costs associated with occupational skin diseases, including lost workdays and loss of productivity, can reach $1 billion annually

What can environmental health and safety professionals do to help reduce the risk of ICD’s?  Offer a hand cleanser that has been designed to meet the cleaning needs of the worker but is also gentle to the skin with natural non-abrasive scrubbing agents, like SC Johnson Professional’s Solopol ® GFX ™.

As the world’s only heavy-duty foam hand cleanser with grit, Solopol GFX contains natural, non-abrasive scrubbing agents such as biodegradable cornmeal and olive pit scrubbers that don’t damage the skin. Its unique, patented foaming technology allows the liquid to grow into five times its original volume, which means less product is used per handwash, potentially resulting in cost savings.

Additional benefits of Solopol® GFX™ include:

High Efficiency Use: The patented, unique foam format delivers optimum amount of product required for an effective hand wash. It provides up to 42% more hand washes per liter compared to traditional hand cleansers.

Economic Advantage: The instant foam spreads rapidly and easily to emulsify dirt and grime for a thorough cleansing. Customers get nearly twice as many washes compared to common 2L formats.

Better Cleaning Power: It out cleans traditional heavy-duty cleansers but uses half as much product.

Better Post-Use Feeling: The product lacks skin damaging ingredients like petroleum distillates or pumice, which eliminates dry, rough or cracked-feeling skin after use.

Environmentally Responsible: It is the only heavy-duty hand cleanser with USDA BioPreferred, UL ECOLOGO and Green Seal certifications.

Occupational Skin Disorders are serious skin conditions and should be treated as such. It’s important for employers to provide products that are well-formulated for the workplace. Using a product that has been designed to be effective and gentle to the skin with non-abrasive scrubbers will help keep employees more productive and improve a business’s bottom line.

If you’re not sure which product to use, refer to SC Johnson Professional’s Quick/Dirty Reference Guide or explore the Compatibility Tool Selector to help select the best products for your need.

 

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