Skin Cancer is 3 times more likely for 1.5 million Canadians

How likely is it that you or someone you care for will be one of the 80,000 plus cases of skin cancer diagnosed in Canada each year? Well if you are one of the 1.5 million Canadians who works outdoors, your risk of developing skin cancer due to sun exposure is 2.5 to 3.5 times greater than someone who works indoors. One in every three cancers diagnosed worldwide is a skin cancer and 80-90% are caused by ultraviolet UV radiation.

In Ontario, there are about 450,000 outdoor workers in all kinds of jobs ranging from construction to transportation. Even though 40% of these workers may be working outside up to 4 hours each day, approximately 279,000 (62%) are not wearing sunscreen. Now you might think this is a summer issue only, but even on cloudy days – up to 80% of the sun’s UV radiation comes through the clouds. It’s also important to note that sunlight does not have to be direct to cause skin damage and light reflected off surfaces including concrete, water, sand, and snow can also damage.

Employers have a responsibility to help protect their outdoor workers from UV radiation and sun heat.

Unfortunately, Canadian outdoor workers are not adequately protecting themselves enough from the sun. The good news is that most skin cancers are preventable when best practice is followed. Consider the five S’s when it comes to protecting yourself and workers from UV exposure. To learn more about the five S's, please visit the following link: https://info.debgroup.com/blog/shining-a-light-on-sun-safety-in-the-workplace

Employers have a responsibility to help protect their outdoor workers from UV radiation and sun heat. Cancer Care Ontario encourages employers to increase sun safety awareness and provide basic training on how to reduce sun exposure. This should include engineering controls such as shade structures and administrative controls such as rescheduling work outside of peak UV hours (11 am – 3 pm) when possible.

As part of its Be UV Aware campaign, Deb offers tools to help employers implement a suitable and successful sun safety policy to help protect outdoor workers. Please visit the following link to learn more: https://www.debgroup.com/ca/education-support/resources/be-uv-aware

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References

Melanoma skin cancer statistics https://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/skin-melanoma/statistics/?region=on#ixzz5IWOO3bH5

Outdoor workers not adequately protected from the sun https://archive.cancercare.on.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=1377&pageId=376332

 Outdoor workers have 3 times greater risk of skin cancer https://www.cos-mag.com/occupational-hygiene/33716-outdoor-workers-have-3-times-greater-risk-of-skin-cancer/

About Skin Cancer https://www.canadianskincancerfoundation.com/about-skin-cancer.html