Outdoor workers, skin cancer and the sun

If your organisation has outdoor workers, or even workers who periodically will be exposed to the sun, then you need to manage their risk of sun exposure.

Outdoor workers in Queensland are exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UV) every day. Queensland experiences a large proportion of sunny days, and UV can be high even on a cloudy day.

The UV index measures the daily levels of UV radiation. When the UV index is three or higher, it can damage your skin or lead to skin cancer. In Queensland, the UV Index is three or higher almost every day.

Hold a toolbox talk at your workplace to discuss the importance of sun safety with your workers and:

• raise the profile of sun protection as a health and safety issue
• improve knowledge and understanding of sun protection control measures
• dispel common misconceptions about solar UV and various control measures
• help workers detect the early signs of skin cancer
• improve sun protection behaviour of workers both off and on the job
• raise workers' awareness about your sun safety policy
• provide a forum for feedback from workers.

Download our toolbox talk presentation on skin cancer and sun safety (PPTX, 1.05 MB).

Employers can help create a sun safe environment for their workers by controlling the risk of exposure to UV radiation with a comprehensive sun safety policy.

More information

You will find information about how to create a sun safety policy, as well as additional resources at worksafe.qld.gov.au.