Those Hazy Lazy Dangerous Days of Summer. Employers and employees need to take a fresh look at the protection from harmful ultraviolet rays. Freelance writer, Mike Isle, explains why, and looks at what’s available in the way of protection. With summer just around the corner, much will be made of protecting ourselves from the sun’s harmful rays while we bask on beaches. That is of course very commendable, and wholly justifiable given the increasing incidences of melanoma and other skin cancers. But there is a group who will have far greater, far longer, and far more potentially damaging exposure to the sun’s harmful rays than we beach-baskers. They are outdoor workers, many of whom will be toiling under the hot sun for hours on end without respite. Moreover, many will be so preoccupied they may have no comprehension of the effect the sun is having on their exposed skin. Some will even labour under the misapprehension that the tan they got from working outside is sufficient protection. What this article seeks to do is give outdoor workers their “time in the sun” by looking at the situation they face, correcting some misconceptions they have, and finally looking at the remedies and measures they can and should take to protect themselves from skin cancer this summer. Let’s start with the situation… Excessive exposure to the sun is harmful. That applies to everyone regardless of gender, age or ethnic group. Whilst it’s true that fairer skinned people have a somewhat higher risk of contracting melanoma, darker skinned people are not—repeat not—immune from it. And outdoor workers, again regardless of other factors, are particularly susceptible. The danger is real. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. About 250 people in this country die of it each year---80% of them from melanoma, much of it directly related to excess exposure to the sun. We could look at that in terms of financial costs if we like--$33 million a year spent by the health system on skin cancer related treatment—but the human cost is far more devastating. The irony is that melanoma and many other skin cancers are almost wholly preventable. Lives can be saved.

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To do that, we need to look first at what we are dealing with…. what the danger is, where it comes from, and most of all why we have those high rates of melanoma--why are New Zealanders being picked on? Let’s answer that last question first. We have those rates because of who we are and where we are. We are people who like getting outdoors for play and for work. We are also, to some extent, born rebels who resist entreaties to cover up; whereas other nations might “roll up their sleeves” and get into it, we prefer to take off the whole damn shirt! Then there is where we are. In the late 1970s an ozone hole formed over Antarctica and has simply never gone away. What that hole did, and still does, is let through harmful UV (ultraviolet) radiation. Two main types of UV reach the earth, UVA and UVB. UVB radiation is well known to cause damage to the DNA of skin cells. Skin cancers develop when this damage affects the DNA of genes that control growth and division of skin cells. Recent research has found that UVA also contributes to skin cancer formation. Scientists now believe that both UVA and UVB rays contribute to skin damage, including skin cancer. In other words, there are no safe UV rays. Our problem is our proximity to that hole in the ozone layer. Whilst the hole does not actually cover New Zealand, nor is it likely to, it does deplete the protective ozone layer immediately above us. “Our” ozone is taking it upon itself to try and fill the gap while most everybody else’s ozone is sitting back and letting ours do the work. Our workers are paying for it. More than most. So, how do we protect them? First we correct some fallacies… 1. Having a dark skin—whether due to ethnicity or tanning—is protection enough. Although melanoma is not currently a significant health issue for Maori and Pacific Islanders it should not be overlooked. Recent surveys indicate that a sizeable proportion of Maori, in particular, are susceptible to sunburn. Also, many Maori and Pacific Islanders reported considerable occupational sun exposure during a normal working day. Although this may not increase the risk of melanoma, it may increase the risk of other types of skin cancer. 2. Keeping covered up is all the protection we need.

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Partly true. But what about those parts of the body that we don’t keep covered— the face, the neck, and the lower arms? The face and neck are the most common places for skin cancers, particularly squamous cell carcinoma—a particularly nasty non-healing sore. 3. Stay inside. Well, how practical is that for an outdoor worker? Besides, UV radiation can travel through glass, so sitting by a sunny window is enough to put us at risk. 4. Keep in the shade. Again, how practical is that? Still, it’s better than nothing, though we need to know that 80% of UV rays can travel through cloud and even fog and haze. 5. Slap on some suntan lotion and that’ll do ya. It’ll “do ya” all right, but not in the way anticipated. Suntan lotions simply do not offer anywhere enough protection. What New Zealand workers need is something with real “grunt”! Which brings us to remedies and protective measures for workers… Protection from the sun can be seen as the worker’s responsibility. Well, okay, it is…and it isn’t. It’s reasonable to expect a degree of personal responsibility, to say nothing of common sense, from a worker. But if employers want to save their own skins they had better be proactive in saving those of their employees. The Health and Safety in Employment Act of 1992 says emphatically that employers must take all reasonable steps to protect employees’ health and safety. That applies to protecting workers from the sun’s harmful rays just as much as any other safety concern. Occupational Safety and Health recommends addressing this issue in three initial steps: Exposure Assessment, Minimising Exposure and Training and Education. Each of those steps is covered in detail in OSH’s: Solar Ultraviolet Radiation - Guidance Notes for Protection of Workers From available free as a PDF downloadable file at http://www.osh.dol.govt.nz/order/catalogue/356.shtml,

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What is implicit in this though is that workers and the degree and type of protection they must have are different from that required for a family enjoying an outing at the beach. Nowhere is this truer than in the type of sunscreen employed. Sunscreens are often the second line (after clothing) of protection from the sun. But, for the worker spending hours out in the sun, using whatever is left from the last weekend’s family picnic probably won’t hack it as an effective sunscreen. What they need is the real “industrial strength” protection. Not surprisingly, they’ll get it from the same place they get most of their other safety equipment—from a specialist industrial safety retailer. It might surprise many of us to know that among the hard hats, high-viz vests, boots etc at our local safety store there is a comprehensive range of “industrial strength” sunscreens, sun blocks, balms and other products for protecting the skin. In fact, New Zealand’s largest safety equipment retailer, NZ Safety http://www.nzsafety.co.nz, is devoting almost a full page of its current catalogue purely to sunscreens, and the company is now stocking sunscreen products in all of their stores nationwide. Product Manager for this category, Tim Shields, says that sun protection for outdoor workers is a genuine occupational health and safety issue and one that needs to be given increased prominence. The “industrial strength” sunscreens stocked by NZ Safety have been endorsed by the NZ Cancer Society (another excellent source of information http://www.cancernz.org.nz/) and conforms to the relevant Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NZS2604. There is also no end of free advice from the society, and from NZ Safety. And it is worth taking that advice. For example, as sophisticated as modern sunscreens are, their efficacy still comes down to how they are applied. The common conception of just “slapping it on” just doesn’t hack it these days. In fact, it can be dangerous. In a sidebar on this page, we look at the correct way to apply sunscreens. So, as we arrive at summer it's worth taking another look at what’s new in the critical area of protecting workers from the sun. It’s worth visiting the sites we’ve mentioned in this article and getting along to your safety equipment outlet to see what’s in store there. Even Sunsmart’s classic and commendable suggestion Slip (on a shirt, or into shade), Slop (on sunscreen) and Slap (on a hat with flaps) has had something new added to it—

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Wrap, as in wrap on a pair of sunglasses (to Australian Standard AS1067, also available from most safety outlets). Clearly, the old adage “nothing new under the sun” doesn’t apply to this summer’s sun protection. END. Author’s acknowledgement: The author acknowledges the information sources: http://www.cancernz.org.nz/ http://www.sunsmart.co.nz/ http://www.osh.dol.govt.nz/order/catalogue/356.shtml, And the special help of NZ Safety http://www.nzsafety.co.nz/ in the preparation of this article.

The Correct Way To Apply Sunscreen Sunscreen should be applied at least 15 minutes before going into the sun. This allows time for the UVR filtering ingredients to settle, dry and form a protective film barrier on the skin. Make sure the skin is well covered. If you do not spread enough sunscreen over the skin you may not have the level of protection indicated by the SPF on the container. An average-sized adult should apply at least 30ml (about six teaspoonfuls) of sunscreen in each full body application. Using less will reduce the level of protection below the SPF claimed on the container. A second application of sunscreen, allowing time for the first to have dried (about fifteen minutes), helps to ensure any areas of skin missed on the first application are covered. This is like painting a wall of a house — two coats are more likely to provide adequate coverage than a single application. It is important to reapply sunscreen after physical activity, swimming and towel drying, and to allow time for the sunscreen to dry and form the protective film barrier on the skin again. Sweat and water remove sunscreen from the skin. Check the instructions on the pack as some “water resistant” products can survive the effect of water.

Courtesy of the NZ Cancer Society.