Summary in English
Skin diseases are among the most frequent occupational diseases in Nordic countries
and elsewhere. Occupational skin diseases on hands and forearms are often recurrent or
chronic. Both the economic and social impact on the individual and the society is
considerable.
The purpose of this project was to develop questionnaire-tools for surveying work
related skin diseases and exposures. The present report and questionnaires are compiled
by a Nordic group. Target groups for this report are occupational health and safety pro
fessionals, health and safety authorities, health and safety managers in workplaces and
industry, and researchers in occupational health research. The project was mostly
financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers, which also has published the report in the
TemaNord series.
A standardised questionnaire will benefit both occupational skin disease research and
the prevention of hand dermatoses in practice. It will lower the threshold and costs for
planning surveys and monitoring hand dermatitis prevalence. It will help to provide
more comparable information on hand dermatoses in different populations. The pres
ently designed tool can also be used for monitoring hand dermatitis in workplaces, e. g.
after interventions or other changes in work chemicals or processes.
Two questionnaires have been designed in the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire
(N OSQ) project. The questionnaires are based on existing Nordic questionnaires when
available. Sections on exposure and urticaria, for example, are designed for this ques
tionnaire as very few existing questionnaires include questions on these subjects.
NOSQ-2002/SHORT is a short, ready-to-use questionnaire for screening and monitoring
occupational skin diseases on hands and forearms. NOSQ-2002/LONG is a longer, more
in-depth questionnaire for surveying hand dermatitis and risk factors in workplaces or in a population.