Leather Industry
Chemical first aid for leather tanning, processing and finishing
Turning animal hides into leather is one of the world's oldest manufacturing processes — but it remains one of the most chemically intensive. From the initial preparation of raw hides through to finished leather, every major stage of production involves corrosive, reactive, or hazardous chemicals that create real and ongoing splash risk for workers on the production floor.
Liming and hair removal is the first chemical stage. Strong alkalis are applied to break down and remove hair from the hide and begin the structural modification of the collagen fibres. The chemicals used at this stage include sodium hydroxide, sodium sulphide, calcium hydrogen sulphide, sodium hydrosulphite, dimethylamine, and sodium sulphydrate — a combination of highly alkaline and chemically reactive substances that cause serious burns on skin and eye contact. Alkali burns are consistently more severe than acid burns of equivalent exposure because they do not self-limit at the tissue surface; they continue to diffuse into deeper layers, destroying tissue structure progressively.
Deliming removes alkali traces and reduces pH prior to tanning. This stage uses acetic acid, lactic acid, or boric acid in combination with buffering salts such as ammonium sulphate or ammonium chloride. While individually lower in corrosivity than the liming chemicals, these substances still carry skin and eye irritation and burn risk, particularly in continuous contact scenarios common in production environments.
Pickling uses salt combined with sulphuric acid or formic acid to reduce the pH of the collagen fibres and prepare them for tanning agent penetration. Sulphuric acid at the concentrations used in leather pickling is a serious corrosive — causing rapid, deep burns on skin and eye contact that require immediate active decontamination.
Tanning by the mineral or chrome process uses chromium sulphates — corrosive compounds that also carry long-term health considerations related to hexavalent chromium exposure. Chrome tanning is fast and widely used, but the chemical risk it introduces throughout the tanning stage must be reflected in first aid provision.
Beyond the core tanning processes, leather production involves associated chemical risks in effluent treatment, sludge management, and dyeing operations — each adding further acid, alkali, oxidiser, or solvent exposure to the overall hazard profile of the facility.
Diphoterine® provides active decontamination across this full range of leather processing chemicals. Its amphoteric and chelating action is effective on the strong alkalis of the liming stage, the acids of pickling and deliming, and the mixed chemical environment of tanning and finishing — all in a single portable format that can be stationed throughout a production facility without plumbing or installation. Because incidents in leather production often occur at specific process stages — tank operations, hide transfer, chemical dosing — Diphoterine® units placed at those exact points mean treatment can begin within seconds of a splash, rather than after travel time to a central shower.
Chemicals of note in this industry:
Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Sulphide, Calcium Hydrogen Sulphide, Dimethylamine, Sulphuric Acid, Formic Acid, Acetic Acid, Chromium Sulphates, Ammonium Sulphate.
COSHH and compliance
Leather tanneries and processing facilities must ensure COSHH risk assessments address the specific chemicals at each process stage, including the high-pH liming chemicals that cause the most serious burns and the pickling acids that follow them. The combination of strong alkalis and strong acids across sequential process stages means adequate provision must cover both ends of the pH spectrum — which Diphoterine® does as a matter of design. Diphoterine® systems conform with EN15154 Parts 3 and 4 — the European Standards for Emergency Eye and Skin Decontamination Equipment.
Contact DipHex on 01622 851000 or at enquiries@diphex.com to discuss chemical first aid provision for your leather processing facility.