Rank: Super forum user 
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We have a lab technician who has to wear gloves (disposable nitrile)
for her work. She has just started a course of medication and one of the side effects
is that it will cause her skin to dry out and crack. We suggested that she should,
change her gloves more often, use some sort of emollient cream and wear a cotton
liner glove under the nitrile glove. Our OH provider (an external company) has
said “You cannot wear cotton liners with nitrile gloves”. I asked why “They said
because you can’t!”, and went off to give useful advice to other people paying for
their services. While I am waiting for a response back from them that actually
makes sense, is there anybody on the forum who can tell me what the issue with
cotton liners under nitrile gloves might be?
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Rank: Forum user 
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IMHO, I am unaware of anything significant that would prevent a person wearing cotton gloves under disposable nitrile gloves. Indeed, I have advised this in the past (and I am not an OH person) where people have suffered excessive sweating of the hands. The only proviso I put on them was that they are disposed of at the same time as the disposable glove. The only reason that I can foresee why the OH department are saying no is that if the nitrile gloves were to be punctured or let chemicals pass through then this could be absorbed onto the cotton gloves and therefore exacerbate any condition.
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Rank: Forum user
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It is also possible to buy cotton gloves with a nitrile coating, palm only or full dip. We also had an issue with disposable nitrile gloves and skin sensitivity, purchasing black nighthawk gloves for the indivual that stopped the sensitivity.
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Rank: Forum user
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There is nothing wrong with using cotton (or silk if you are being extravagant and can get them!) liners. A proper assessment of use needs to be done though and hand health monitored.
However, let's take a step back. Does the person NEED to wear the gloves? What does the risk assessment say? I work in the HE research area and I constantly tell people only to wear gloves when they need to. Our skin is not designed (I guess I should really say it has not evolved...) to be covered by a layer of plastic. It complains about this in various ways. If the assessment says gloves are needed, then wear them for as short a time as possible and (as commented already) wash carefully once the gloves come off and use a post-use skin treatment designed for glove wearers (talk to your glove manufacturer or a good manufacturer like Ansel).
Just to play devil's advocate, I trust you do have COSHH assessments in place for glove use (I am talking to anyone who uses gloves of any kind). Think about it for a moment and you will realise I am not a complete stark raving lunatic for saying this. Yes, your gloves are being used to benefit the wearer (protect from physical, thermal, chemical damage, etc), but they can also cause harm to the wearer (case in point with this forum post), so you need to COSHH assess them... Happy days...!
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 1 user thanked Nick-H for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Firstly there is absolutely no reason why cotton gloves cannot be worn under any occlusive glove. Indeed, where occlusive gloves have to be worn for more than two hours in total in an eight hour shift this should be a standard procedure. (HSE also recommend this.) Inside an occlusive glove skin will become hyperhydrated due to what is termed trans-epidermal water loss plus sweat where sweating may happen. This will affect the ability of the skin cells to hold sufficient water such that after glove removal it can return to an acceptable barrier function. So unnecessary wearing of occlusive gloves should be avoided.
Also bear in mind that according to the latest ACoP for COSHH, where gloves are worn skin health surveillance becomes mandatory. If you need more on gloves PM me with your e-mail address. Chris
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1 user thanked chris.packham for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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They do need to wear gloves as their job involves oligopeptide
synthesis so she needs gloves to protect her hands from occasional splashes of
the reagents involved and to stop her contaminating the product.
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Rank: Super forum user
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AK - sent you a PM re gloves but response was that your mailbox was full and message was being held. ChrisR
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Our occ health adviser often recommends cotton liners under nitrile gloves. One of them must be wrong!
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Rank: Super forum user
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Kate Your OH is absolutely correct. Inside an occlusive glove the water that is normally lost through the skin (not sweat but trans-epidermal water loss - TEWL) together with sweat if this is present will cause hyperhydration. This causes cell damage that results in the skin losing an excessive amount of water when the glove is removed resulting in a deficient barrier encouraging both dermatitis and infection. Studies have shown that wearing separate cotton liners substantially reduces this effect. Of course, they will need changing frequently. Are you aware of the section in the PPE regulations that is relevant to this? Appendix II, paragraph 2.2. states:
2.2. PPE “enclosing parts of the body to be protected As far as possible, PPE “enclosing” the parts of the body to be protected must be sufficiently ventilated to limit perspiration resulting from use; if this is not the case, it must if possible be equipped with devices which absorb perspiration.” Since I cannot envisage 'ventilated' chemical protective gloves the second option, i.e. the cotton liner, is for me the obvious answer. Chris
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1 user thanked chris.packham for this useful post.
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