Purpose: This report of a case of allergic contact hand dermatitis due to constituents of nitrile gloves is to bring to the attention of practitioners four important practice points: 1) allergic contact dermatitis may occur due to exposure to chemicals in nitrile gloves; 2) skin patch testing is used to identify the causative allergens; 3) targeted allergens may be necessary in addition to the baseline European standard series if the standard series is unhelpful; and 4) there are potential interventions to manage nitrile glove dermatitis.
Findings: A laboratory analyst had occupational exposure to several allergens and had worn latex gloves. She was exposed to laboratory chemicals and powdered ore dust, containing precious metals. She developed hand dermatitis and was relocated to administrative duties not requiring glove use. Her dermatitis cleared but recurred when she returned to the laboratory and started using nitrile gloves. On history, nitrile gloves and platinum group metal ore dust were consistently associated with her hand dermatitis, but laboratory chemicals were not. Latex-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) was negative, as were skin patch tests for 13 allergens in the metal series, including salts of platinum group metals. She had positive allergic reactions to cobalt chloride, formaldehyde, nickel sulphate, and quaternium 15 in the European standard series patch tests. She did not react to the rubber chemicals in the European standard series, including thiuram mix. The patient was then tested with the rubber additives series because of the glove-relatedness of her hand dermatitis. She had positive reactions to three thiuram compounds used as accelerators in rubber gloves. The patient went on vacation during which time her dermatitis improved. She was relocated to a position without glove use or ore contact and her dermatitis did not recur.
Conclusions: An analytic laboratory worker developed hand allergic contact dermatitis due to nitrile glove constituents. The diagnosis is supported by the improvement in her dermatitis after cessation of glove use, negative metal series patch tests, and positive patch tests to accelerators found in rubber gloves. Nevertheless, a contribution to the dermatitis by metals in the platinum group metal ore dust cannot be excluded.
Recommendations: Nitrile glove constituents should be considered in wearers who develop hand dermatitis. Skin patch testing is recommended to investigate putative agents. Specific patch test series for more targeted testing may be required.

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus' (HIV's) threat to food security is highest in areas with high poverty levels. The OR Tambo district in the Eastern Cape province has the highest poverty rate in South Africa (80.4%); HIV prevalence is 11.4%.
Objective: The purpose of the study was to describe the threat that HIV poses to farm employment and food security in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Methods: A multi-method approach was used. The quantitative component was a cross-sectional design and the qualitative component was a narrative design. The study population comprised approximately 7 000 smallholder farmers from the five local municipalities in the OR Tambo district. Participants for both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the study were selected using convenience sampling. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires and qualitative data were collected from face-to-face interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. Qualitative data were analysed using Tesch's eight-step procedure for thematic content analysis.
Results: Five hundred and ninety-three farmers completed the questionnaire. Most agreed that HIV affects food security (n = 486, 72.0%), that HIV negatively affects food security (n = 454, 76.6%), that people living with HIV are excluded from farming activities (n = 426, 71.8%), and that HIV affects farming skills (n = 495, 83.5%). A significantly larger proportion of farmworkers older than 60 years than those who were younger perceived the threat to food security. Twenty participants described the effect of HIV on farm workers in interviews, and highlighted that HIV impacts farm skills and labour due to ill health and lost income from farming, which threatens food security.
Conclusion: HIV threatens food security among smallholder farmers in the OR Tambo district due to farmworkers' diminished capacity to work and consequent reduced income, which affects their ability to secure food.

Background: Many high-risk and construction-related activities are performed in the course of distributing electricity throughout South Africa, including working at heights, driving, operating electrical networks, excavation work, and maintenance of electrical structures. South Africa has one power utility that provides electricity to the entire country. Different sectors of the utility are distributed throughout the nine provinces, with eight sectors in the Eastern Cape province.
Objective: We sought to compare health and safety incidents, and their causes, between the sectors in the Eastern Cape province.
Methods: Incident data from 2015 to 2019 were extracted from the power utility's Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing of Environmental Health and Safety (SAP EH&S) database. The most common health and safety incidents and their reported causes are compared across sectors and described as counts and frequencies.
Results: There were 614 health and safety incidents recorded in the study period with motor vehicle accidents being the most common overall (n = 482, 78.5%). Incidents related to damage to equipment (n = 48, 7.8%), operating errors (n = 16, 2.8%), falls (n = 15, 2.4%), hand injuries (n = 13, 2.1%), and insect/animal bites (n = 13, 2.1%) were also recorded. Workers ignoring safety rules was the most common reported cause of these health and safety incidents (n = 449, 73.1%).
Conclusion: Motor vehicle accidents, damage to property, operating errors, falls, and hand injuries were frequently reported in the energy utility sectors in the Eastern Cape province. The most common recorded cause was workers ignoring health and safety rules. Training workers on the importance of reporting incidents, including near misses, can potentially reduce the frequency of health and safety incidents.