Stay safe at work, slap on sun cream

More than one-in-five of tradespeople don’t wear sun protection when on the job, research commissioned by Toolstation has found, despite 67 per cent wearing it while on holiday.

The poll conducted by one of Britain’s fastest growing suppliers of tools, accessories and building supplies also found that 58% had suffered from sunburn while working outside.

Nearly half (47 per cent) of those surveyed said they don’t wear protection because they forget about it before going to work, while 15 per cent don’t think they need it. A further 11 per cent opt against wearing it because it tends to be inconvenient.

Despite forgetting to apply suncream, 50 per cent are still worried about getting burnt while working outside.

Other than using suncream, those tradespeople also take other measures to help avoid burning.

The poll found that:
60 per cent wear sunglasses while working
54 per cent reduce the amount of time they spend in the sun
50 per cent cover up and wear long-sleeved clothing
50 per cent stay in the shade when they can
85 per cent of tradespeople felt more can be done in the industry to raise awareness of skin cancer and sun damage.

A spokeswoman from Toolstation said: “We know that tradespeople don’t have much time on their hands, so prioritising suncare can be difficult but it’s really important that tradespeople are well informed about the implications of being burnt while working in the sun and the steps they can take to minimise that risk.

“We want to help them overcome that risk and make wearing sun cream when working outdoors as common as PPE.”

The HSE recommends the following for anyone that works outside:

• Keep a top on
• Wear a hat with a brim or a flap that covers the ears and the back of the neck
• Stay in the shade whenever possible, during your breaks and especially at lunch time and the hottest part of the day
• Use a high factor sunscreen of at least SPF15 on exposed skin
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day to avoid dehydration
• Check your skin regularly for any unusual moles or spots.

See a doctor promptly if you find anything that is changing in shape, size or colour, itching or bleeding

Picture: Pixabay