The Health and Occupation Research (THOR) network / THOR-UK reporting schemes / EPIDERM – Occupational Skin Disease Surveillance

EPIDERM

Occupational Skin Disease Surveillance

EPIDERM collects data on occupational skin diseases and the agents that cause them. Approximately 120 dermatologists are currently reporting to the scheme.

EPIDERM was initiated at the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH), The University of Manchester. It has been collecting cases from dermatologists’ reports since 1993. Case reports of work-related ill-health collected by EPIDERM are the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) preferred source of data for several dermatological conditions.

Reported diseases

Between 2010 and 2019, a total of 4,698 cases of work-related skin disease were reported to EPIDERM:

  • EPIDERM reported diseases pie chart.Contact dermatitis – 86%
  • Neoplasia – 9%
  • Contact urticaria – 3%
  • Mechanical – 1%
  • Other skin disease – 1%
  • Folliculitis/acne – under 1%
  • Infective – under 1%
  • Nail – under 1%

Who can join EPIDERM?

To become an EPIDERM reporter, you must be a consultant, associate specialist or speciality doctor in dermatology, based in the UK. Trainee physicians are also able to report, provided they are endorsed by a qualified and named dermatology physician.

“We have already obtained a lot from EPIDERM. It has allowed an insight into the skin health of the working nation and, as such, is unique.”

Professor David J Gawkrodger / Consultant Dermatologist and Honorary Professor of Dermatology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital
 

Your reporting options

Once you become an EPIDERM reporter, you will have a choice between core reporting and sample reporting.

Core reporters report throughout the year, reporting cases for each month. Sample reporters report for just one randomly allocated month per year.

Online reporting of occupational cases is done via a secure web form. You will have your own account for completing this form.

You will receive a reporting email, which includes your username and password, at the beginning of every month (core reporters) or at the beginning of your randomly allocated month (sample reporters).

There is currently also an option to report by card, which is sent by post to reporters every month (core reporters) or once a year (sample reporters). 

Blogs by our reporters

You can read blog posts by current EPIDERM reporters about their experiences on the THOR blog.

Join EPIDERM now

To join us as an EPIDERM reporter, please complete our recruitment form.

Recruitment form

Contact us

If you have any questions about EPIDERM, please contact Laura Byrne.

Current reporters

If you have already joined this scheme, you can access your reporting form by logging into the THOR Reporting Site.

UoMCOEH