This report, the first from the occupational skin disease database, can be considered a preliminary description of the working population and substances associated with occupational skin disease in Australia. It consists of an analysis of 18 years of patch testing data from a Victorian tertiary referral clinic that specialises in occupational skin disease. The report describes patterns in the diagnosis of occupational skin diseases, examines the demographic and employment characteristics of workers with occupational skin disease and estimates the relative rates of occupational skin disease among Victorian workers.