May marks Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Skin Cancer Awareness Month is a time for us to speak up about the dangers of skin cancer, share the facts and help save lives☀️🎗️
Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, which are an invisible kind of radiation that comes from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells even on cool or cloudy days where the UV index is 3 or more, which is why protection from UV rays is important all year, not just during the summer☀️🎗️
Melanoma (a type of skin cancer) is the 5th most common cancer in the UK, with around 15,400 people being diagnosed in the UK each year. Fortunately, skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, which is why we encourage every organisation to consider the risk to their employees of skin cancer while they are at work and put as many controls in place as possible to protect them from this dangerous condition☀️🎗️
Skin Cancer Risk Factors in the Workplace🕶️
- Working Outdoors: if your work processes involve employees working outdoors regularly, their risk of developing skin cancer is higher due to their exposure to the sun. Where an employee experiences five or more occasions of sunburn, their risk of developing melanoma doubles.
- Chemicals: working with some chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs] from coal tar, pitch and unrefined mineral oils have been linked to skin cancer.
- Radiation: exposure to ionising radiation, e.g., from radioactive substances and X-rays, in the workplace may also increase an employee’s risk of skin cancer.
How to Protect Employees from the Sun and Risk of Skin Cancer🧢
- SPF: for workers who are exposed to the sun regularly, you may wish to enforce the use of SPF while at work. Soltan and Macmillan recommend 5* UVA with at least an SPF 30. Consider SPF as an extra piece of PPE, as it protects employee’s health and safety, similarly to hard hats, high vis vests and safety boots etc. Don’t forget to apply sun cream to those easy to miss places, such as lips, ears, back of the neck, feet and scalp.
- Water: employers should ensure that employees working in the sun have access to enough water throughout the day to keep them hydrated. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a warm and sunny day for there to be a risk of skin cancer; the sun is always releasing UV radiation.
- Cover Up: employees who are exposed to the sun should wear a wide brimmed hat to protect their face and neck. Wearing long sleeves can also protect their skin from burning, but this should be made from a light material to prevent the employee from over-heating
- Sunglasses: employees working outdoors can protect their eyes by wearing UV resistant sunglasses.
- Duration: employers can limit their workers’ exposure to the sun and thus reduce their risk of skin cancer by providing shaded work areas, where possible. Shade is particularly beneficial for workers between the hours of 11am – 3pm when the sun is strongest.
- Check skin: employers should encourage employees working in the sun to check their skin during and after shifts, for signs of redness or burning. If this is detected, they should be removed from the sun. If any changes to skin occurs, such as development of new or growth of existing moles, or changes to the skins texture, medical advice should be sought.
How to Get Involved with Skin Cancer Awareness Month in your Workplace🧴
- Promote the Skin Check Challenge: Here is how the Skin Check Challenge works:
- First, check your skin from head to toe. Look for anything new, changing or unusual.
- Then, post a photo or video of your skin check and share it online with the hashtag #SkinCheckChallenge.
- Then, invite two friends to do it too.
- Develop and display posters in your workplace, showing the signs of skin cancer. Some pictures can be difficult to look at, but this is a good way to alert employees to the severity of skin cancer.
- If it is practicable for your organisation, why not invest in SPF, or sun hats to provide to employees who are work long durations under sun exposure.
- Consider possibilities to adapt your work processes to reduce workers’ sun exposure, such as job rotation, or constructing coverings to provide more shade for employees working outdoors.
How can Team Turnstone help you Reduce the Risk of Skin Cancer Among your Employees?⛅
- Development of sun exposure risk assessments.
- Arrangement and development of skin cancer awareness toolbox talks.
- Arrangement of health surveillance and screening.
- Development of posters and infographics for your workplace, showing the signs of skin cancer and tips for skin cancer reduction and awareness for employees.
Contact Team Turnstone today to find out more about how we can help you to protect your employees from the sun and skin cancer📞
