HR FOCUS
IS YOUR WORKFORCE EDUCATED ABOUT UV PROTECTION?
Many outdoor workers are not sufficiently protected against exposure to the sun, with potentially harmful, or even deadly, consequences. Paul Jakeway, Marketing Director at skin care expert Deb, explains why educating your workforce on UV protection is so important.
Most people know that prolonged exposure to the sun can have harmful consequences; and most know that there are simple ways to protect themself against the hazard. That is why few people would go on a summer holiday without sun cream or spend hours and hours in the sun without protective clothing.
Yet, when it comes to the workplace, the same care and attention does not seem to exist. In fact, figures show that workers who are heavily exposed to the sun tend to neglect UV protection, often to a worrying degree. In the construction sector, for instance – where workers can spend up to seven hours a day outside – only 59% regularly apply sun cream, according to an estimate by the IOSH ‘No Time To Lose’ Solar Campaign.
The health risk posed by this neglect is considerable. Unprotected exposure to the sun does not only cause sun burn and skin damage; it can ultimately lead to skin cancer. It is estimated that over 80% of skin cancer cases are caused by overexposure to the sun. Naturally, outdoor workers run a much higher than average risk. IOSH estimates that every year, 1,700 people develop skin cancer from sun exposure at work. That is the equivalent of five people a day.
Why is UV protection at work not being taken more seriously? It would be easy to blame the neglect on employees who do not apply sun cream, wear enough protective clothing, or take breaks in the
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shade. But that is only half the story. Employers have a Duty of Care to protect their employees from hazards in the workplace, and according to guidelines from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), UV radiation should be considered an occupational hazard for people who work outdoors.
All too often, however, employers do not live up to this responsibility. In a study IOSH conducted in conjunction with the University of Nottingham, 70% of employees said they had never received any training on the risks of working in the sun.
If staff are not educated, UV protection often falls by the wayside completely. Left to their own devices, some workers might apply sun cream; many others won’t. Some might wear protective clothes and hats and take regular breaks in the shade; many others won’t. In a worst case scenario, negative peer pressure might affect the situation further, with those who care for their protection being singled out as weak or somehow unmanly.
What can be done to improve this situation? To raise UV awareness in the workplace, education and training are absolutely crucial. Companies have a duty to inform their staff about the risks of neglecting UV protection, and they need to help them to protect themselves sufficiently. Unfortunately, this often gets lost in the everyday business of running a company. That is why it is important to make education and training a priority.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has long stressed the importance of education and training when it comes to sun exposure at work. In its Sun Protection leaflet, the government body advises employers responsible for people who work outdoors to “keep your workers informed about the dangers of sun exposure” and to “include sun protection advice in routine health and safety training”. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK, the HSE goes on to say, with over 40,000 new cases diagnosed each year; UV radiation should clearly be considered an occupational hazard.
The challenge is to integrate UV protection into the everyday working life. Companies need to find ways to turn the application of protective measures from a private endeavour – which only naturally leads to forgetfulness and neglect – into a communal staff habit. The idea behind this is simple: workers who see other workers take care of themselves are much more likely to do the same. Negative peer pressure turns into its opposite. Like this, UV protection becomes a natural staff habit, something that is almost second nature.
Such a change in behaviour does not happen overnight, though. A detailed introduction informing staff about the risks of unprotected sun exposure and giving them practical advice on how they can protect themselves, should be followed by an ongoing effort to engage staff on the issue. Education
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