Background: Skin diseases constitute up to 40% of all notified occupational diseases in most European countries, predominantly comprising contact dermatitis, contact urticaria, and skin cancer. While insufficient prevention of work‐related skin diseases (WRSD) is a top‐priority problem in Europe, common standards for prevention of these conditions are lacking.Objective: To develop common European standards on prevention and management of WRSD and occupational skin diseases (OSD).Method: Consensus amongst experts within occupational dermatology was achieved with regard to the definition of minimum evidence‐based standards on prevention and management of WRSD/OSD.Results: By definition, WRSDs/OSDs are (partially or fully) caused by occupational exposure. The definition of OSD sensu stricto additionally includes diverging national legal requirements, with an impact on registration, prevention, management, and compensation. With the implementation of the classification of WRSD/OSD in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 11th Revision in future, a valid surveillance and comparability across countries will be possible. Currently, WRDS and OSD are still under‐reported. Depending on legislation and regulations, huge differences exist in notification procedures in Europe, although notification is crucial to prevent chronic and relapsing disease. Facilities for early diagnosis, essential for individual patient management, should be based on existing guidelines and include a multidisciplinary approach. Patch testing is essential if contact dermatitis persists or relapses. Workplace exposure assessment of WRSD/OSD requires full labelling of product ingredients on material safety data sheets helping to identify allergens, irritants and skin carcinogens. Comparable standards in primary, secondary and tertiary prevention must be established in Europe to reduce the burden of WRSD/OSD in Europe.Conclusion: The adoption of common European standards on prevention of WRSD/OSD will contribute to reduce the incidence of OSD and their socio‐economic burden.

Background: Work‐related skin diseases (WSD) are caused or worsened by a professional activity. Occupational skin diseases (OSD) need to fulfil additional legal criteria which differ from country to country. OSD range amongst the five most frequently notified occupational diseases (musculoskeletal diseases, neurologic diseases, lung diseases, diseases of the sensory organs, skin diseases) in Europe.Objective: To retrieve information and compare the current state of national frameworks and pathways to manage patients with occupational skin disease with regard to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation in different European countries.Methods: A questionnaire‐based survey of the current situation regarding OSD patient management pathways was carried out with experts on occupational dermatology and/or occupational medicine from 28 European countries contributing to the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action TD 1206 (StanDerm) (www.standerm.eu).Results: Besides a national health service or a statutory health insurance, most European member states implemented a second insurance scheme specifically geared at occupational diseases [insurance against occupational risks (synonyms: insurance against work accidents and occupational injuries; statutory social accident insurance)]. Legal standards for the assessment of occupationally triggered diseases with a genetic background differ between different countries, however, in most European member states recognition as OSD is possible. In one‐third of the countries UV light‐induced tumours can be recognized as OSD under specific conditions.Conclusion: OSD definitions vary between European countries and are not directly comparable, which hampers comparisons between statistics collected in different countries. Awareness of this fact and further efforts for standardization are necessary.

The age-adjusted incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in the Nordic countries has increased during the last 60 years, and the identification of occupational variation in the relative risk of cSCC may have preventive implications. We sought to describe variation in the relative risk of cSCC between occupational categories in Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. This is a historical prospective cohort study based on record linkages between census data for 12.9 million people and cancer registry data from 1961 to 2005. Standardized incidence ratios for cSCC were estimated for 53 occupational categories with the cSCC incidence rates for the national population of each country used as reference. During follow-up, 87,619 incident cases of cSCC were reported to the national cancer registries. In all countries combined, significant increased standardized incidence ratios were observed among seamen, military personnel, public safety workers, technical workers, teachers, transport workers, physicians, dentists, nurses, other health workers, religious workers, clerical workers, administrators, and sale agents (standardized incidence ratios between 1.08 and 1.77). Information on occupation was based on 1 point in time only. The occupational variation of the relative risk of cSCC might be associated with socioeconomic factors, and to some extent to occupational exposures.