Occupational Dermatoses in Ontario, 1955 to 1962

In Ontario in 1962, with a compensationeligible labour force of 1,814,000, 10 out of each 1000 workers received compensation for some occupational dermatosis, as defined here; 36 out of each 1000 workers received compensation for some cause. Contact dermatitides made up 5042 of 7448 cases of occupational disease for which compensation and/or medical aid was paid in 1955 and 1956. In eight years, 1955 to 1962 (inclusive), of a total of 534,557 “compensation only” cases, 7023 received payment for contact dermatitis. The average yearly cost of compensation of a worker with a contact dermatitis was estimated at $1113; the annual total cost, at $900,000. The average cost of an occupational dermatosis was $368; the annual total cost, $10 million. Occupational dermatoses account for almost one-third of all compensation costs. The cost of “medical aid only” is excluded from all of these estimates. In contact dermatitis, primary irritants (chemicals) are still the main causative agents. Skin sensitizers, the epoxy resins particularly, have become more prominent in recent years. There is no all-purpose barrier cream or protective clothing. Proper personal hygiene remains the most effective preventive agent in industry.