Sun Safety at Work

With summer now upon us, it is important to be aware of the dangers to health from various sun related illnesses and the long term risk of sun exposure.

People who spend a lot of time in the sun risk developing skin cancer, other skin disorders, eye injuries, heat stress and heat related illness. Given that workers in the construction industry spend a large amount of time in the sun it is vital that they are protected against UV exposure.

Under OHS law you have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of your workers and to prevent or minimise risk at your workplace, and this can extend to sun exposure.

People most at risk in construction are:

• People with fair skin.
• Workers exposed to direct sunlight between 10am and 2pm.
• Workers carrying out strenuous tasks for long periods.
• Workers exposed to reflectors, such as water, polished materials, glass, etc.
• Workers exposed to additional heat from machinery.
• Workers in the northern parts of Australia, as UV levels are higher in those areas.

At any time when working in the sun there is a risk of UV radiation exposure, not just in summer and not just in the middle of the day. Every workplace should carry out its own assessment of sun exposure, identify tasks that place workers at risk, and control the degree of exposure.

Some common controls include:

• Wearing protective clothing, such as hat, sunglasses, long sleeve shirts.
• Applying sunscreen, at least 15+ broad spectrum and zinc cream about 15 minutes before going into the sun and reapplying at least every 2 hours.
• Maintaining adequate supply of drinking water for hydration.
• Taking regular short breaks, in the shade if working for long periods, in order to re-hydrate and rest.
• Providing direction, training and education to staff about the effects and dangers of UV radiation and what they can do to reduce their exposure.

If you encourage all your workers to be sun smart your summer period will be more productive and your workers will be safe from the effects of the damaging Australian sun.

If you require more information about sun safety, you can contact HIA on 1300 650 620 or your local safety authority or skin cancer organisation.