Many workers are exposed to the sun while carrying out their everyday work activities, but how many of us and how many employers actually assess the risk of sunburn?
- 90% of all skin cancers are preventable. Virtually all the risk comes from the sun & sun beds/sunlamps.
- About 80 – 85% of the sun’s rays can pass through clouds so you need to take care on cloudy days too
- one in every eight men and one in every ten women will develop skin cancer by the age of 74 years
- Ireland has among the highest skin cancer rates in Europe
Every year in Ireland around 200 people die from malignant melanoma otherwise known as skin cancer, and another 750 new cases are diagnosed; double what they were ten years ago. The problem could lie with the term ‘sunburn’. What do we perceive sunburn to be? Most of us will attribute this to our childhood memories of getting burnt at a beach while on holiday. Sunburn doesn’t only happen to the sun worshiper who lies for hours in the sun. It can happen to anyone who has to work outdoors. Skin cancers are caused by damage from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. These rays penetrate deep into the skin and damage cells. These damaged cells are then at risk of becoming cancerous. Even at times when there is no sensation of the sun burning or of UV rays your skin can still become damaged. In the short term...sunburn can blister your skin and make it peel, but even mild reddening is a sign of skin damage. In the long term...too much sun will speed up the ageing of your skin, but the most serious effect is an increased chance of developing skin cancer. Skin damage is caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays, which are strongest from 11am to 3pm. This is not related to the hottest part of the day, which is usually later in the afternoon. Employers are responsible for ensuring the health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable, of their workforce - including those whose work keeps them outside for most of the day. Employers should give their workforce advice about sun protection during the health and safety induction. Employers must carry out a risk assessment for all tasks which expose their workers to excessive UV rays and adopt appropriate control measures and work practices. In addition to training, employers should also encourage workers to keep covered up during the summer months by providing a sun block cream and advising employee’s to wear a long-sleeved shirt, and a hat with a brim or flap that protects the ears and neck are ideal. On particularly hot days and when very high temperatures are forecast, consider work schedules. If at all possible avoid working through the highest exposure of ultraviolet rays which is usually between 11.00 and 15.00 Hrs. Employers should maintain records of all employees training and keep a receipt of all personal protective equipment that is issued. This information should then be kept recorded in the safety management file. Further guidance on working in the sun can be found within Peninsula’s Health and Safety documentation, Guidance note GDN 3-17. References: The Institute of Cancer Research - Irish Cancer Society - Dublin Institute of Technology – Health & Safety Authority Ireland - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
