Средства индивидуальной защиты Hoffmann Group 2026 - страница 460

SKIN – THE MOST IMPORTANT 2 SQUARE METRES. The skin which surrounds our body has a surface of 1.5 to 2 square metres, making it our largest organ. It consists of three layers, the outer skin (epidermis), the tough inner layer (dermis) and the lower layer (hypodermis). There is also a keratin layer on the surface of the skin. The tasks of the skin are many and various. One of the most important is the protective function. Many cells of the immune system are located in the skin, thereby assisting the body’s defences. In contrast to the cells of the internal organs, skin cells are being constantly renewed throughout a person’s life. This renewal process lasts about four weeks, after which all cells at the end of their useful life are discarded in the form of small flakes. Since in the working environment the skin is continuously exposed to many damaging influences, the risk of skin health complaints should not be underestimated. Skin complaints make up almost 38% of all occupational health complaints. Within the industrial sector, more than half the working time lost due to occupational health complaints is attributable to dermatitis. The costs due to such downtime are correspondingly high. The healing of skin complaints is often very long drawn out. For these reasons, skin protection at the workplace is of great importance in order to maintain the healthy condition of the skin. Investigations have proved that good skin protection and regular hand hygiene can reduce by up to 40% the costs of health complaints and absences due health complaints.