Introduction
The Photo Imaging Council Environment Safety and Health Committee has produced the following Health and Safety guidance for the Imaging industry. This builds on it’s previous H&S awareness campaign on ‘How to Read a Safety Data Sheet’ and ‘How to Read a Product Label’.
The imaging industry is constantly changing - over the last decade through the growth of minilabs and on-site processing, the number of sites – and of course the number of people - using photographic chemistry have grown and become increasingly widespread throughout the UK. Even with the expansion of digital imaging technologies, there are still a high proportion of ‘wet’ processors distributed over a wide variety of locations ranging from large-scale photofinishers to traditional high street photo shops, to large supermarkets with in-store minilabs.
The purpose of this web page is to raise awareness of health and safety issues relating to the correct use of hand protection when using photographic chemistry in any of these locations.

NB: This web page concentrates on the correct selection and use of hand protection only – it should of course not be forgotten that there are many other issues relating to personal protective equipment and health and safety in the photographic processing laboratory.

Processing chemicals and materials do not damage the skin if they are used as intended and if safety precautions are observed.

If you examine some of the product labels for photographic processing chemistry, you may see one of the following hazard warnings:

More information regarding the processing chemistry’s hazardous properties can be found on the product’s Safety Data Sheet. This will include warnings and safety advice in the form of risk phrases (e.g. R38 – irritating to skin) and safety phrases (e.g. S26 – in the case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice).

In addition to the actual processing chemicals, degreasing substances and preparations (e.g. cleaner, wash-out agent) used in the lab can also cause damage to the upper skin layers. This damage can sometimes first appear after years of contact. That is why these preparations are labeled with the phrase: “R66 – Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking”.

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The prevention of skin damage or allergic reactions must be a primary aim of any health and safety at work measures.

1. Identify the hazardous products used in your laboratory – check the labels for any hazard warnings.

2. Consult the products’ Safety Data Sheets for guidance and recommendations on handling and personal protective equipment.

3. Identify the tasks during which members of staff come into contact with those products. Also consider the degree and duration of contact – is it a splash risk, for example during chemical replenisher mixing, or are the hands immersed for longer periods of time, for example during maintenance or dealing with a paper jam?

4. Using the above information, instigate procedures to minimise the risks involved – these should involve not only the wearing of suitable protective gloves, but also the use of a skin protection plan.

The points above will form only part of carrying out a risk assessment as required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (the COSHH) Regulations. If you are an employer you are responsible for ensuring that this risk assessment carried out; if you are an employee you should be informed about the risks of using the chemicals as identified by the risk assessment, and how you can avoid them or be properly protected.

(The HSE has developed a simple, free to access, web based, step-by-step process for carrying out risk assessments. The PIC recommends the HSE’s COSHH Essentials risk assessment process which is available free on the Internet www.coshh-essentials.org.uk)

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Regular skin care is beneficial in maintaining the protective function of the skin.
When carrying out a task where contact with processing chemicals is likely - in addition to wearing suitable protective gloves - the following steps should be followed:

1. Before the task - where the level of contact with hazardous substances is high enough then it may be necessary to use barrier cream in addition to protective gloves. The barrier cream should be applied thoroughly according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

2. During the task – wash hands during the task as required, and thoroughly before eating, drinking, smoking and toilet visits. Use a skin-friendly (non-abrasive, pH neutral) cleanser. Carefully re-apply the barrier cream if using.

3. After the task – Wash hands thoroughly. Repeated washing of the hands during the day can lead to the skin drying and cracking and so the use of a skin care moisturising cream after washing is recommended.

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Suitable protective gloves must be worn if contact with chemicals cannot be avoided.

When determining the suitability of a protective glove for a particular task, three considerations are necessary:

1. The material the glove is made from – this will affect the permeation rate and so level of protection offered.

2. The size of the gloves – should be appropriate for the user so not to compromise manual dexterity or ability to carry out the task.

3. The length of the gloves – this depends on the type of work. Long gloves should be used when working with very aggressive liquids or when the hands must be immersed in the liquid. Product drops entering the gloves from the top must be avoided. If the arms are raised during the work, the cuffs should be turned over in order to collect any drops running down the gloves.

A single type of protective glove for universal use cannot be recommended because of the different properties of the various chemicals; e.g. protection against organic solvents requires a special glove material.
Protective gloves made of latex are normally sufficient for the chemicals used during the processing, and their traditional use is common. However latex gloves can cause allergic reactions in some people and so are no longer recommended.
Needless to say, protective gloves made of a higher quality material, e.g. polyacrylonitrile (‘nitrile’) or even butyl rubber, can also be used. However, the latter significantly impair manual dexterity because of the material thickness.
Single-use (disposable) gloves made of polyethylene can only offer sufficient protection for a short-time contact with wash-out solutions or printing plates.

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In order to check the recommended safety precautions, always consult the product’s Safety Data Sheet which the product’s supplier must provide. This will enable you to make a risk assessment as required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) and to implement appropriate handling procedures.

Recently, in response to the new SDS directive (2001/58/EC), the safety data sheet information regarding hand protection has been extended and is now more specific in its definition of appropriate gloves to wear when handling that particular chemical.
As an example, for a typical processing chemical, section 8 of the safety data sheet, ‘Exposure Controls / Personal Protection’ may now include the following information:

“Use chemical resistant gloves. In case of prolonged immersion or
frequently repeated contact use gloves made of the materials:
Butyl rubber (thickness >= 0.36 mm, breakthrough time > 480 min),
nitrile rubber (thickness >= 0.38 mm, breakthrough time > 480 min)
or neoprene (thickness >= 0.65 mm, breakthrough time > 240 min).
For intermittent splash protection corresponding gloves with
breakthrough times > 60 min can be used.
Avoid gloves made of: natural rubber.”

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More predictable protection from chemicals is offered by protective gloves bearing the (BS EN 374) illustrated pictogram and CE mark, with protection class of 3 or above.

The quality of gloves for the protection from chemicals is primarily determined by its permeation, measurable by the penetration time. The permeation greatly depends on the materials used. For the classification of chemical protection gloves they are divided into six protection classes dependent on the penetration time pursuant to BS EN 374.

Therefore, for the example product with the safety data sheet recommendations given above, one possible suitable glove to use for prolonged immersion or frequently repeated contact would be a nitrile glove bearing the BS EN 374 Class 6 pictogram.

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Protective gloves made of latex are normally sufficient for the chemicals used during the processing, and their traditional use is common. However latex gloves can cause allergic reactions in some people and so are no longer recommended.

Natural latex is produced by the Hevea brasiliensis tree. The cloudy liquid latex is collected by ‘tapping’ the tree. It then goes through a complex manufacturing process,
involving the addition of sulphur and other chemicals. So, ‘natural’ latex rubber is composed of natural proteins and added chemicals, some of which will be removed during washing procedures in the later stages of production. The final product is a durable, flexible material which gives a high degree of protection from many micro-organisms and also chemicals with otherwise hazardous properties. Latex is therefore often used in the manufacture of protective gloves.

According to information supplied by the UK Health and Safety Executive, there has been a steady increase in the number of reported cases of asthma and skin complaints attributed to latex since the 1990s.

Latex exposure can lead to a number of health problems, including:

Irritation - symptoms include redness, soreness, dryness or cracking of the skin in areas exposed to latex. This type of reaction is not an allergic reaction (see below). Once the irritant agent, e.g. latex has been identified and contact with it ceases, the symptoms will disappear and not recur.

Type I allergic reaction - symptoms include:
- localised or generalised rash (urticaria or hives);
- inflammation of the mucous membranes in the nose (rhinitis);
- red and swollen eyes with discharge (conjunctivitis); and
- asthma-like symptoms.
This is an allergic response to the extractable latex proteins and occurs almost immediately on contact. In rare cases it may result in a very severe reaction known as anaphylactic shock.

Type lV allergic reactions - symptoms include dermatitis and itching with oozing red blisters, which are usually localised to the hands and arms. These occur between 10-24 hours after exposure and can get worse over the next 72 hours. This is an allergic response to the chemical additives, known as accelerators, used in the manufacturing process.

The amount of latex exposure needed to produce sensitisation is unknown. Once sensitisation has taken place, further exposure to the substance, even to the tiniest trace, will cause the symptoms to recur. Increasing the exposure to latex proteins increases the risk of developing allergic symptoms.

There are a number of different types of latex glove available. Due to prolonged and close contact, all latex gloves present a particular risk of skin sensitisation, but the risk is reduced in gloves with lower levels of latex protein and process chemicals. Powdered gloves pose an additional risk, not only to the user but also to sensitised people in the area. The proteins in the latex glove leach into the powder which becomes airborne when the gloves are removed. Inhaling the powder may lead to respiratory sensitisation.

For more information and the UK Health and Safety Executive advice on the use of latex gloves and the associated health and safety issues: http://www.hse.gov.uk/latex/
The HSE has produced a leaflet – primarily aimed at healthcare workers, ‘Latex and You’ a PDF version is available to download from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg320.pdf

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Detailed information and advice regarding the selection of their own protective gloves are best given by gloves manufacturers.
Manufacturers and suppliers of protective gloves in the UK are listed in the following table - this list does not claim to be complete and should be regarded as a starting point: