The present report has been prepared for the project “Development, documentation and
validation of a questionnaire for survey of occupational skin diseases and relevant exposure”, supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, project number: 411050 —42.50.32.00.
Occupational skin diseases are among the most frequent occupational diseases in Nordic
and European countries. Occupational skin diseases are often recurrent and chronic.
Both the economic and social impact on the individual and the society is considerable.
The purpose of the project was to develop questionnaire-tools for surveying work
related skin diseases and exposures. As a result, two questionnaires (Nordic Occupa
tional Skin Questionnaires — NOSQ) have been designed for separate purposes: a short
questionnaire for screening and monitoring work-related hand and forearm dermatitis
(NOSQ-2002/SHORT), and a longer, more in-depth questionnaire (NOSQ-2002/LONG)
for surveying hand and forearm dermatitis and risk factors in workplaces or in populations. All the questions in the short questionnaire are included in the long one. Instructions to researchers and guidelines on how to modify the questionnaire for different populations, by tailoring the questions about work and exposures, are provided in the report
version of the questionnaire (NOSQ-2002/INFO). The NOSQ-2002 report also includes
a review of pertinent literature and documentation on the origin of the questions included.