Fact Sheet: Safety in the Sun
Clicking here can download the Code Of Practice 2001: Code Of Practice
2001: Work in Hot or Cold Environments
Why is working in the heat bad for your health?
Human beings need to maintain a constant body temperature if they are to
stay healthy. Working in high temperatures will induce heat stress when more
heat is absorbed into the body than can be dissipated out. Heat illness such
as prickly heat, fainting from heat exhaustion or heat cramps are visible signs
that people are working in unbearable heat. In the most severe cases, the
body's temperature control system breaks down altogether and body
temperature rises rapidly. This is heat stroke, which can be fatal. There is also
a risk of skin cancer.
Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world
About 1200 people die from skin cancer in Australia each
year, 80% from melanoma
The majority of skin cancers are caused as a direct result of frequent and
prolonged exposure to the sun, about 90% of skin cancers are found on
exposed areas such as the hands and face. Outdoor workers such as those
listed below have a high risk of developing skin cancer:
Municipal employees
Road workers
Building and construction workers
Postal workers
Gardeners
Dockyard and harbour workers
Outdoor sports and entertainment workers
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Jockeys
There are three main types of skin cancer:
1.
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type; it is usually
very small, doesn't spread inside the body and is usually not fatal. The most
common areas affected are the central face, nose and eyelids.
2.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) rarely spreads to other parts of the
body and is seldom fatal. However, it can leave bad scars if is not treated
early. This cancer develops rapidly and is less common than BCC.
3.
Malignant Melanoma (MM) is the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
If not detected early and treated properly, it can spread to other parts of the
body. It can grow on places that have not been exposed to the sun - even
under toenails and on the soles of the feet.
Skin cancer is usually treated by being surgically removed. The earlier the
detection and treatment, the less likely that unsightly scarring and
disfigurement will result. In particular, the importance of early diagnosis of
melanoma cannot be overemphasised.
Prevention is better than cure
Prevention and protection
There are many ways to protect yourself from the sun when you need to work
outside. It is very important to take into account the following factors:
Workers who are regularly exposed to the sun should be warned about the
potential hazards and advised on how to avoid exposure. Outdoor workers
need to be clearly aware of the fact that every time they go out into the sun,
they are a target for skin cancer. The effect of exposure is cumulative and is
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not reversible - the damage adds up until some years later when cancers start
to appear.
It is very important to check for:
•
Any new freckle, mole, sunspot or unhealed sore on your skin.
•
A spot that looks different from the other spots around it.
•
A spot that has changed in colour, size or shape over the last few weeks
or months.
Things to remember
• Outdoor workers are in one of the highest risk groups for skin cancer.
• Your employer has a duty of care to protect you from overexposure to UV
radiation.
• Talk to your employer about introducing sun protection methods to the
workplace.
• never rely on sunscreen alone. You can still get sunburnt – even when
wearing sunscreen if you spend considerable time in the sun.
Remember: No matter what type of skin you have you are at risk of
developing skin cancers!
Heat Related Illness
During very hot and extreme heat conditions, people are at greater risk of
health problems. These can be specific heat-related illnesses or a worsening
of existing medical problems.
What are extreme heat conditions?
Risk is greatest during heat waves and when the temperature hovers about
5°C or more above average for three or more days. The risk is increased
when high temperatures are combined with increased humidity.
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What is heat related illness?
Heat related illness can occur when the body is unable to cool itself
adequately. The body normally cools itself by sweating. In some situations,
sweating isn’t enough and body temperature rises. This can be associated
with different effects ranging from a mild heat rash or cramps through to heat
exhaustion or the more severe and potentially fatal heat stroke. People can
experience heat related illness during periods of extreme heat in summer. It
can also occur in athletes or others during periods of physical exertion.
Heat rash
Heat rash or ‘prickly heat’ is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating
during hot, humid weather. It can occur at any age, but is most common in
young children. Heat rash looks like a cluster of red pimples or small blisters.
It is more likely to occur on the neck and upper chest, or in creases in the
groin, elbow or under the breasts.
The best treatment for heat rash is to move to a cooler, less humid
environment. Keep the affected area dry.
Dusting powder may be used to increase comfort. Avoid using ointments or
creams as they keep the skin warm and moist, which may make the condition
worse.
Heat cramps
Heat cramps usually affect people who have sweated a lot during strenuous
activity. The sweating depletes the body’s salt and fluid, which can lead on to
muscle cramps. These painful cramps usually affect the abdomen, arms or
legs. Cramps may be an early symptom of the more severe condition of heat
exhaustion.
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If medical attention is not necessary, stop all strenuous activity and rest
quietly in a cool place. Increase fluid intake using cool water, clear juice or a
low sugar sports drink. Do not return to strenuous activity until a few hours
after the cramps subside. Seek medical attention if the cramps continue for
more than one hour.
Heat exhaustion
Heat exhaustion can develop over several days of extreme hot weather. It is
the body’s response to gradual depletion of fluid and salt due to sweating.
Those most prone to heat exhaustion are elderly people, people exercising or
working in a hot environment, or people with high blood pressure, heart or
circulation problems.
Warning signs include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness
and weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, or fainting.
Attempt to cool the person with a cool shower, bath or sponge. The person
should rest in a cool place. If possible, move the person to an air-conditioned
environment. Give cool non-alcoholic fluids. Avoid high sugar drinks. Ensure
they are wearing loose, lightweight clothing. If symptoms are severe or don’t
improve with treatment, or if the person has high blood pressure or heart
problems, seek medical attention immediately.
Heat stroke
Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness. It can be fatal. It develops
when the body loses its ability to sweat and is unable to cool down. Body
temperature rises to 41°C or higher. This can occur rapidly over a period of
just 10-15 minutes.
Warning signs include extremely high body temperature (above 39°C); red,
hot, dry skin, although in some cases some sweating may still be evident;
rapid pulse; throbbing headache; dizziness and nausea.
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If heat stroke is suspected, seek medical help immediately, as this is a life
threatening emergency. The body temperature must be reduced quickly.
Move the person to a cool shaded area. Remove excess clothing.
Immerse the person in a tub of cool water, ensuring more than just the
extremities are cooled. Alternatively, place the person in a cool shower, spray
with cool water from a hose or wrap the person in a cool, wet sheet and fan
vigorously. Monitor the body temperature and continue cooling efforts until the
body temperature drops below 38°C. Do not give the person fluids to drink
unless you are confident they can swallow properly.
If unconscious, place the person on their side and clear the airway. If medical
attention is delayed, seek further instructions from ambulance or hospital
emergency staff.
Warning signs of heat exhaustion are :
clammy skin
rapid pulse
confusion
vomiting
light-
weakness
headedness
short temper
fainting
fatigue
slurred speech
loss of
nausea
concentration
Symptoms that indicate heat stroke include :
staggering walk
mental confusion
hot skin
temperature rise (yet person may
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feel chilled)
convulsions
unconsciousness
incoherence
deliriousness
Is there an upper temperature limit at which workers should
stop work?
Section 8(i) of the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 states that
an employer has a legal duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work
of all employees. If workers are suffering from any of the above symptoms,
then it is clear that your employer is not complying with the law. But the law
does not state any precise temperature at which workers should stop work, or
any specific actions which must be taken by the employer at certain
temperatures.
Hot and cold regulatory controls under clauses 47 and 48 of the Occupational
Health and Safety Regulation 2001 states that employers must:
•
provide adequate ventilation and air movement in indoor environments
that may become hot
•
provide adequate access to heated or sheltered areas and warm
clothing or other personal protective equipment if employees are
exposed to cold
•
provide appropriate work and rest regimes relative to physical fitness,
general health, medication taken and body weight appropriate for both
ot or cold working environments.
What helps to prevent heat stress?
It is obviously more difficult for the employer to control the environment for
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outdoor work, than for indoor work. However, if work has to be done outdoors
then employers must be responsible in taking steps that are available to
protect workers. These include:
•
The intensity of the sun's rays is at its greatest between 10 am and 2
pm (from 11 am to 3 pm during daylight saving). Work practices should
be modified to avoid any unnecessary exposure to ultra-violet radiation
during these times. Nonetheless, remember that skin protection is
important all year round - not just in summertime.
•
Employers should provide suitable protective clothing for outside
workers. Loose, long sleeved shirts or blouses with a collar and long
trousers or slacks to protect arms and legs. A hat with an 8cm wide
brim or a cap with flaps.
•
Employers should also provide a suitable sunscreen of at least SPF
15+ to protect those areas of skin still exposed to the sun. 15+ means
that this type of sunscreen will give at least 15 times the protection that
the skin would give. It should be applied to dry clean skin before
exposure to the sun and thickly reapplied when you have been in the
sun for more than 2 hours. You should still cover-up with protective
clothing.
•
Drink plenty of fluids during hot weather – cool water is best
•
Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink – drink regularly during the
whole day
•
Urine colour is a good guide to hydration – it should be clear to light
straw-coloured, not dark or golden
•
Increase natural ventilation by opening windows and using fans
•
Seek an air-conditioned environment if possible
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•
Monitor those at high risk
•
Seek your doctor’s advice about predisposing medical conditions and
medications
•
Wear Dark loose fitting clothing (navy, black, dark red) absorb UV rays
and prevent them from reaching the skin better than white and light
colours. However, the closeness of the weave is still more important
than the colour of the fabric.
•
Avoid light-coloured hat brims that bounce sunlight back onto the face,
loose fitting clothing
•
Stay out of the sun if possible
•
Providing canopies or awnings over sections of the site where work is
currently being carried out, to shield workers from the ultra-violet rays
of the sun, as well as from the direct heat of the sun.
•
Providing regular rest breaks. A ten minute break every hour, in a
cooler area, helps the body to cool off, especially where the work is
hard, physical work. The length of the break should be increased if the
temperature is very high. As a practical guideline, the following
measures can be followed in most workplaces:
•
Temperature
Rest Period
30 to 32º
10 minutes
32 to 35º
15 minutes
more than 35º
at least 30 minutes
Providing air-conditioned sheds or vehicles for rest breaks. These
must obviously be near each area where work is being done, or
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break time will be spent walking to and from the shed or vehicle.
Also, the nearer the shed or vehicle, the more likely it is to be used.
•
Provision of cold (non-alcoholic) drinks. Frequent small drinks of
cooled water will help replace the water lost to your body through
sweat, before dehydration begins. This is better than infrequent
large drinks. Again, the cold water supplies should be near each
working position, to encourage frequent drinks.
•
Alcoholic drinks should not be taken as replacement fluids. Alcohol
stimulates the body to eliminate fluids, and will increase your risk of
dehydration. For example, if you drink one can of beer, you will lose
more than that volume of urine.
•
Salt tablets should not be taken - more water will be required by the
body to help it get rid of the salt - this will increase the amount of
work the kidneys must do and increase the risk of dehydration. Salt
tablets also increase the risk of high blood pressure. Drinking water
will not give you stomach cramps, as some people believe.
What action should be taken if someone has symptoms of
heat illness?
•
First take the sufferer to a cooler area (for example, an air-conditioned
shed or vehicle).
•
Then remove excess clothing (hard hat, boots, shirt)
•
Give water to drink, if conscious.
•
Allow the person to rest if they are suffering from heat exhaustion
•
If the person is suffering from heat stroke they should be cooled with
water, cold compresses, and/or rapid fanning. A person suffering from
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heat stroke should be taken to a medical facility for further cooling and
monitoring of body functions.
REMEMBER: HEAT STRESS IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
DON'T TAKE CHANCES !
Workplace action to prevent heat stress
•
Ask workers exposed to high temperatures if they find conditions too
hot or have any heat stress symptoms. Write a simple questionnaire
based on your own knowledge and the symptoms listed on this
factsheet.
•
Ask management to measure and record the temperature regularly
throughout the year, preferably with an automatic Wet-Bulb Globe
Temperature Instrument, or at least with instruments that measure dry
temperature and humidity. Safety Reps have a legal right to these
results. Put all of your requests to management in writing.
•
Persuade workers to put all incidents of high temperatures and
symptoms suffered into the Accident Book.
•
Compare these results with the results of the membership survey, your
own monitoring results and the accident and sick/absence record. Do
accidents happen more frequently during high temperature conditions?
Is there more sick absence during these conditions?
•
Request that management bring in ventilation and heat control
consultants to (re)design and install air conditioning or cool air
providers, or insulation of radiant heat sources. Your union or the
Workers Health Centre will be able to help you with these
arrangements.
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•
Negotiate exposure reduction by frequent rests away from the source
of heat and job rotation.
•
Request that the employer provide suitable clothing and footwear clothing which increases body heat or prevents sweat evaporating is
not suitable (for example, nylon).
•
Arrange for regular medical checks of employees particularly of blood
pressure.
•
Ask for information and training for all employees on the need for
adequate water, recognition of heat symptoms, acclimatisation to heat,
exposure build-up for new workers after holidays and types of work
which increase heat hazard. This is a legal entitlement under the NSW
Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000.
•
Ensure that first aiders are trained in the recognition of heat symptoms
and first aid treatment of heat stress.
•
If you are getting no response from management, consider calling in
the WorkCover Inspector who may encourage your employer to take
action. Retain copies of your records and written requests to
management to show the inspector.
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“Warning on the Dangers of Heavy Work in High Humidity”
Heat stroke is the most serious form of heat stress and it often leads to death.
This is especially likely when there is high humidity. The risk due to
combination of heat and humidity is best measured with a Wet Bulb
Thermometer rather than the standard “Dry Bulb” Thermometer.
Fatalities have been known to occur when workers have been performing
heavy manual handling tasks in hot humid conditions the Wet-Bulb
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C. Leithead and A. Lind, (1964), “Heat Stress and Heat Disorders”, (Cassell; London), pages 195 –
197.”
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Temperature exceeded 29 degrees C. Death is most likely when tasks require
exertion in hot humid conditions (particularly if there is little air movement).
It is inadvisable to do strenuous work such as manual handling tasks
when the wet bulb temperature exceeds 29 degrees C in workplaces
(especially if there is little air movement).
The control of the body temperature is best achieved by the evaporation of
sweat from the surface of the body. Evaporation rates are highest when the
relative humidity of the air is low and the rate of air movement is high. Air
movement prevents the formation of a layer of moisture-saturated air above
the skin and hence it enhances the rate of sweating.
Air movement rates as high as 2.5 metres per second are useful promoting
optimum rates of sweating. Unfortunately most overhead fans only create an
air movement rate of about 0.7 metres per second. Pedestal fans tend to
produce even less air movement. Overhead fans with long (1400 mm) blades
with a high pitch angle (over 10 degrees) and wide blade tips are the most
effective.
Useful Links for Heat Stress Prevention and Heat Waves
•
NSW Department of Health Fact Sheets:
Heat Related Illness;
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/environmental/heat_related_illness.h
tml
Heat Stroke;
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/environmental/heat_stroke.html
•
University Of Sydney Guidelines For Indoor Thermal Comfort And Ventilation
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http://sydney.edu.au/ohs/policies/ohs/IndoorThermalComfort.shtml
•
The Sports Medicine Australia Fact Sheets: Beat the Heat - playing and
exercising safely in hot weather and their brochure:
Drink up - Beat the heat
•
The Bureau of Meterorology websites: What causes thermal stress?
http://www.bom.gov.au/info/thermal_stress/ and Thermal Comfort
observations in NSW & ACT on the web at:
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN65179.shtml
•
Water in the workplace - Wise up on water!
SEE ALSO
FACT SHEET: PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE
Further information
NSW WorkCover Authority Information line 131050
NSW Cancer Council (02) 9334 1900
This material was developed by Unions NSW with the assistance of The Workers
Health Centre as part of a project funded under the WorkCover NSW WorkCover
Assist Program.
Any views expressed are not necessarily those of WorkCover NSW.
For more information please contact your union. This Fact Sheet is
recommended as a guide only and is not a substitute for professional or legal
advice. If you need clarification or further advice please consult your Union for
further information.
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