Sun protection for outdoor workers

Background

Australia is one of the countries with the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. In 2023, 3,182 Victorians (1,860 males and 1,320 females) were diagnosed with melanoma accounting for 8% of all new cases.

Employees can be exposed to UV radiation from direct sunlight, reflections from surfaces, and the scattering of UV through the earth’s atmosphere. It is estimated that in Australia around 200 melanoma and 34,000 non-melanoma skin cancers per year are caused by occupational exposure to UV radiation.

The risk of exposure is greater for employees working outdoors for extended periods. For example:

• farmers
• building trades
• heavy vehicle drivers
• miners
• construction employees
• employees who work on or near reflective surfaces.

Outdoor workers are generally 5 – 10 times more exposed to UV radiation per year than indoor workers.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004( OHS Act) requires that employers must, so far as is reasonably practicable, provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health for employees, including independent contractors and employees of independent contractors.

The OHS Act requires that employees, while at work, must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and cooperate with their employer with respect to any action by the employer to comply with requirements imposed by the OHS Act or the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regs).

The level of UV radiation can be expressed as the UV index that describes UV intensity — the greater the intensity, the greater the risk of unsafe exposure. It is recommended that sun protection is used at a UV index at or greater than 3. For outdoor workers, sun protection should be used all year round to reduce the risk of cumulative UV exposure.

Risks from UV exposure

Skin cancer

Cumulative exposure to UV radiation can damage the skin’s DNA. This can result in various forms of skin cancer. Skin cancer can be fatal if not detected and treated early. For more information on the types of skin cancer, visit Cancer council Victoria.

Eye Damage

Exposure to UV radiation can cause inflammation and damage to the eyes. Prolonged exposure to UV radiation can result in skin cancer of the eye and of the skin around the eye as well as other eye conditions such as cataracts. These conditions can lead to reduced vision and even blindness.

Sun protection measures

When working outdoors, employees should use sun protection all year round to reduce the risk of cumulative UV exposure.

Employers need to control the risk of UV exposure for an employee working outdoors. If it is not possible to eliminate the risk of UV exposure, then the risk of UV exposure must be reduced so far as is reasonably practicable.

Employers and outdoor employees should conduct a risk assessment on the type of outdoor work being done, the duration of the tasks and the times of the day the work must be completed. This information will assist in identifying the level of risk for outdoor work and the appropriate sun protection measures to reduce any risks.

The most effective way to eliminate or reduce the risk of UV exposure is to implement a combination of protection measures.

Employers should document such measures in a sun protection policy, or part of a policy, and ensure that the effectiveness of protection measures is monitored and reviewed.

Risk management for UV exposure

A safe workplace requires an organised approach from employers — to identify and manage hazards and risks. This organised approach is the risk management process.

The risk management process follows a series of steps:

Factors to consider 

When doing risk assessments for outdoor work environments, employers should consider various measures to protect employees from sun exposure and heat-related risks. Some key strategies are:

Using shade

Ensure that employees do outdoor work in the shade wherever practicable.

Where work has to be done outside, assess the location of this work, the closeness to reflective surfaces, for example, water, roofing iron, sand, and concrete,

Assess the availability of shade from surrounding structures or trees.

If there is no available shade, then consider a physical barrier to UV exposure by erecting temporary artificial shade structures. 

If it is not reasonably practicable to arrange work in the shade, then ensure that shade is provided for breaks, especially lunch breaks. You should also consider applying UV-rated window tints to work vehicles.

Examples of shade structures are:

• awnings — generally made from closely woven fabric — canvas awnings have a 95+% Ultraviolet Effectiveness (UVE) rating
• market-type shade ‘umbrellas’ — provide good protection due to dense weave and may have a UV- protective coating — look for fabric that has a 95+% (most effective) UVE rating
• structures using roofing materials — clear or tinted polycarbonates provide very high UV protection (UVE doesn’t apply to roofing materials)
• structures using shade cloth – recommend an ‘Effective’ UVE as a minimum (protects between 80– 90.9%) but ‘Most Effective’ UVE (95+% protection) is best.

UV radiation can be reflected or scattered from surrounding surfaces. This means employees may be exposed to unsafe levels of UV radiation even when working in or under overhead protection. Sun protection, for example, protective clothing, sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen, should also be worn in the shade for maximum protection.

Note: ultraviolet effectiveness (UVE) is used when referring to shade fabric and ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) is used when referring to protective clothing and hats. A UVE 95+% (most effective) is similar to a UPF of  50+.

Re-organising work

So far as is reasonably practicable, employers should re-organise outdoor work to avoid the work being done for long periods or during the UV peak of the day — 11 am to 3 pm during daylight saving and 10 am to 2 pm at other times. Check the SunSmart Global UV app to determine when UV levels are at their highest that day in your location. During these times the following administrative controls may be used:

• Minimise the amount of outdoor work.
• Do outdoor tasks in the early morning or late in the day.
• Share outdoor and indoor work, and rotate employees to minimise individual exposure.

Early detection of skin cancer

Early diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer relies on early detection.

Encouraged outdoor workers to check their skin often and look for spots that are new or have changed colour, size or shape. Urge them to visit a doctor as soon as possible if they notice anything unusual. Skin cancer can develop rapidly.

Protective clothing

Provide employees with UV protective clothing for when working outdoors, so far as is reasonably practicable.

The levels of sun protection provided by clothing increases with the density of the fabric’s weave, darker colours also absorb more UV radiation than lighter colours of the same fabric.

Choose clothing that covers as much skin as possible, for example long sleeve shirts with a collar and long trousers

Choose clothing with the highest UPF rating, which should be referred to on the label. Close-weave fabric with a UPF of 50+ offers excellent protection for the full working day and would suit most applications. Where fabric does not have a UPF rating, the rule of thumb is that UV radiation will penetrate if light can be seen through it.

Ensure that protective clothing fits correctly and is comfortable. Sun protection clothing is available in lightweight, comfortable fabric. 

Layering of garments is an effective way to increase protection from UV radiation. Stretched, threadbare or faded fabric is less protective. 

Loose-fitting clothing allows for better airflow, keeping employees cooler than tight-fitting clothing.

Hats

On sites where safety helmets are mandatory, additional sun protection is needed during outdoor work to protect the face, ears, and neck. Various sun protection accessories are available for attaching to helmets, such as broad brims, brim and flap attachments, or legionnaire covers with peak and flap at the back and sides.

On sites where safety helmets are not required, select a hat with a broad brim (7.5 to 10 cm) (Figure 5).

Wearing a broad brim hat with a brim width of 7.5cm protects the face, ears, neck and helps protect the eyes. Legionnaire style caps and bucket hats (6cm brim minimum) also provide excellent sun protection. A broad brim hat can also help reduce UV exposure to the eyes by 50% during daily sun protection times. Neck flaps are recommended if a person will be regularly bent over or have their head down with their tasks.

To provide sufficient protection hats should be made from a close-weave fabric with a UPF of 50+. Hats should be practical (not interfere with activities) and well ventilated.

Peaked caps are not recommended as they leave the ears and back of neck exposed. Note that a hat will only protect the face from direct sunlight — it will not stop exposure from reflected or scattered UV radiation. Use a combination of sun protective measures such as a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, shade and clothing at all times.

Eye protection

Ensure employees use sunglasses with a hat to help protect the eyes from UV radiation when working outdoors during daylight hours.

Choose close-fitting, wrap-around style sunglasses — or sunglasses with side shields — that comply with Australian Standard AS/NZS 1067 – Sunglasses and fashion spectacles. Refer to the label and select sunglasses that offer good ‘UV protection’ (category 2, 3 or 4) or have an eye protection factor (EPF) of 9 or 10.

For tasks where safety glasses are required, either tinted or clear safety glasses would provide adequate sun protection if the type of lens is specified for outdoor use, marked with an ‘O’ for outdoors and complies with the Australian Standard AS/NZS 1337.1: Personal eye protection – eye and face protectors for occupational applications.

Darker-tinted or polarised lenses may be required to reduce glare. Note that the colour or darkness of the lens does not indicate the level of UV protection.

Compliance with the relevant standard is still needed to provide adequate protection.

Sunscreen

Provide sunscreen to employees working outdoors, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Various forms of sunscreen are available, including cream, zinc, and gel.

Sunscreen provides a level of protection for areas of skin that are not covered by UV protection clothing such as hands or face. No sunscreen can offer 100% ‘block out’ and cannot be relied on alone to protect against UV exposure. Sunscreen should always be used in combination with the other risk management controls in this document.

Help ensure the effectiveness of sunscreen:

• Select a type labelled ‘broad spectrum SPF (sun protection factor) 50 or 50+ and water resistant’ for best protection.
• Apply liberally to clean skin 20 minutes before going outside to ensure it is absorbed by the skin. A thin application may reduce the protection level by up to a half.
• Use a generous amount of sunscreen to parts of the body that cannot be covered by protective clothing such as the face and hands. The average-sized adult should apply one teaspoon (5 ml) per limb, 2 tsp for the full torso, and 1 tsp for the head, neck, and face. This totals 35 ml of sunscreen for a full body application.
• Reapply at least every 2 hours — regardless of how often it says on the bottle — to clean, dry skin.
• Reapply frequently if perspiring or in contact with water.
• Use sunscreen before its expiry date and ensure that it is stored at temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius . The storage of sunscreen is very important. For example, sunscreen should not be stored in the glove box of vehicles where temperatures can easily exceed 30 degrees Celsius.
• Any moisturiser or make up should be applied on top of sunscreen.

Sun protection should also be applied to lips using a SPF 30 or higher lip balm or zinc cream.

Employers should keep sunscreen in easily accessible and visible places —preferably with a mirror to assist with application — such as tearooms, beside exit doors, and site offices.

Check the UV

Consider implementing a system where workers are aware of the UV level each day. For example, printing out the forecast and leaving it in shared areas and encouraging employees to check the free SunSmart Global UV app for UV levels on their devices or check daily UV levels reported in newspapers.

Ultraviolet protection factor (UPF)

When selecting clothing and hats for sun protection, look for information about the UPF rating which should be available on the garments label. UPF indicates the percentage of UV radiation absorbed and transmitted by the fabric of hats and clothing only. The higher the rating, the better the protection provided (see Table 1).

Information, instruction, training or supervision

Following a risk assessment, employers should document the control measures in a sun protection policy or similar document. Employers must provide information, instruction, training or supervision as is necessary to enable work to be performed in a way that is safe and without risks to health.

Where there is a risk of occupational exposure to UV radiation, training could include the:

• harmful health effects of exposure to UV radiation and why outdoor workers are a high risk group
• factors affecting levels of UV radiation
• correct use of sun protection measures on site
• the employer’s sun protection policy, and
• risk factors and early detection of skin cancer, including how to check your own skin.

SunSmart offers sun protection education sessions for workplaces across Victoria. All sessions are delivered by trained educators and provide the most up-to-date and evidence-based information on UV radiation, skin cancer and sun protection. Sessions also include interactive learning activities, facilitated discussions, and a range of resources for employers and employees.

SunSmart also provides advice and resources that can help employers write and introduce sun protection policies and practices into the workplace.

Consultation

Employers must, so far as is reasonably practicable, consult with employees, including independent contractors and their employees, and health and safety representatives, if any, on specified matters that directly affect, or are likely to directly affect, their health and safety at the workplace. This includes consulting during the development of the employer’s sun protection policy and selecting appropriate sun protection measures. For more information, visit Consultation.