Protecting your skin and eyes

Wood dust lands on skin and in eyes as well as in lungs. HSE lists dermatitis and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat among the health effects of wood dust.¹ Most skin and eye problems can be prevented with simple habits.

How wood dust affects skin

• Irritation. Dust rubbing on skin, especially with sweat, can cause irritant contact dermatitis: dry, red, itchy skin, sometimes followed by flaking or cracking.²
• Allergy. Some woods cause allergic contact dermatitis. It can take weeks, months or years to develop, but once you are sensitized, a tiny amount triggers a rash and the main remedy is to avoid that wood.²
• Hives. Some woods cause urticaria, a raised, itchy rash that appears soon after contact and fades within hours.²³
• Splinters and sunlight. HSE notes that splinters from some woods heal slowly and often become infected, and that a few woods may make skin more sensitive to sunlight.⁴

Rashes are not limited to the hands. Allergic rashes caused by airborne wood dust have been reported, so any exposed skin can react.⁵

Woods with well-documented skin effects

These are examples, not a complete list. Check each species page.

• Cocobolo and other rosewoods: allergic rashes confirmed by patch testing.⁶⁷
• Teak: allergic skin rashes in furniture workers, confirmed by patch tests.⁸
• Western red cedar: allergic rashes confirmed by patch testing.⁹
• Obeche: hives where the wood touches skin.³

A wood not on this list is not a safe wood.

Protecting your skin

HSE’s approach to skin is simple: avoid contact, protect the skin, and check for early signs.²

• Cover up. Long sleeves and a shop coat or apron keep dust off your arms and your everyday clothes.¹⁰
• Gloves for handling, not for machines. Gloves help when handling rough or irritating stock and when applying finishes. Choose ones that fit well; gloves that are too tight or too loose make work harder.² Do not wear gloves where they could be caught by a spinning blade, cutter, bit or lathe work.
• Pick the right glove for finishes. No glove protects against every chemical, and none lasts forever. Use the finish maker’s guidance on glove material.² Some people react to the gloves themselves; latex can cause allergies.²
• Let hands breathe. Long glove wear makes skin sweaty and soft, which can itself lead to dermatitis. Take short glove breaks.²
• Wash gently. Wash off dust at breaks and at the end of the day with the mildest cleanser that does the job. Harsh cleaners damage skin.²
• Moisturize. After-work creams help restore the skin’s natural barrier. Use them at least once a day, ideally after each wash.²
• Change before going home. Leave dusty clothes in the shop or wash them separately.¹⁰

Barrier creams: limited help

So-called barrier creams are better described as pre-work creams. HSE says they are not a substitute for gloves, may not cover all the skin, and can rub off without you noticing.² Their main benefit is making dirt easier to wash off.² Don’t rely on them to stop an allergy.

Check your skin

Look at your hands, wrists and face now and then. Dryness, redness and itching are common first signs of dermatitis.² UK employers are expected to include skin checks in health surveillance for wood dust work.¹¹ If a rash keeps coming back after working a particular wood, see Symptoms.

Protecting your eyes

• Small particles, including wood chips and dust, cause most workplace eye injuries. Wood slivers can even penetrate the eye.¹²
• Options include safety glasses, goggles, face shields and full facepiece respirators. Choose by the hazard and make sure they fit well enough to cover your eyes without blocking side vision.¹²
• Safety glasses guard against flying chips at the saw or lathe.
• Goggles that seal around the eyes are better for fine sanding dust and for woods that irritate eyes, because dust can drift around the edges of glasses.
• A face shield over glasses or goggles adds protection at the lathe.
• A full facepiece respirator or a PAPR hood protects lungs and eyes at once.¹³¹⁴

HSE lists eye irritation for several woods, including beech, oak, poplar, okoume and padauk.⁴

If dust gets in your eye, don’t rub it. Rinse with clean water. If pain, redness or blurred vision continues, get medical help.

Checklist

• Long sleeves; shop clothes stay in the shop.
• Gloves for handling and finishing, never near spinning tools.
• Mild wash and moisturizer after work.
• Goggles for sanding and irritating woods.
• Skin checked for redness or itching.

Last reviewed 2026-11-07.