As the summer months approach, it’s a good time for employers to consider sun exposure on the job. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires employers to minimize risk of harm to workers. Employers may even be required to provide workers’ compensation to employees who get skin cancer because of sun exposure on the job.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year Americans lose more than $100 million in productivity because of restricted activity or absences due to skin cancer. The CDC offers the following tips to protect outdoor workers from heat as well as sun exposure.:
- Use tents, shelters, and cooling stations to provide shade at worksites.
- Consider providing sunscreen –
- The Mayo Clinic recommends sunscreen with two mineral ingredients –
- zinc oxide
- titanium dioxide
- These ingredients provide long-lasting protection from both UVA and UVB light.
- Both are natural and nonsynthetic.
- The Mayo Clinic recommends sunscreen with two mineral ingredients –
- Schedule breaks in the shade and allow workers to reapply sunscreen throughout their shifts.
- (Did you know that FSA and HSA participants can use those accounts to purchase sunscreen?)
- Create work schedules that minimize workers’ exposure to the sun and heat.
- Schedule outdoor tasks like mowing for early morning instead of noon.
- Rotate workers to reduce their UV exposure.
- Add sun safety to workplace policies and training.
- Require sun protective clothing.
- Require hats.
- Include sun-safety information in workplace wellness programs.
- Teach outdoor workers about the risks of exposure to UV rays and the symptoms of overexposure.