Yes it’s that time of the year again. Time when everyone seems to be preaching the slip, slop, slap and wrap message. But how much notice are you really taking of it? Any at all? You should be wearing a sunhat, sunscreen, sunglasses and clothes that will protect you from the sun if you’re working outside – even on cloudy days. Maybe the nasty pics on this page will prompt you to protect your skin.
We all know the civil construction industry has an ageing workforce. Many of you have been working outdoors in all weather for years and years. A lot of sun damage has already occurred and the results are possibly showing on your skin. And some of this damage could kill you.
The early detection of skin cancers is important. The sooner they’re spotted, the sooner action can be taken to treat them and protect you health.
It is essential you check your skin regularly for possible skin cancers – and not just in places you’ve suffered sunburn in the past, melanomas can occur anywhere, even in places that have never seen the sun – check between your toes and under your armpits and get someone else to check the places you can’t see, like your back and the back of your neck. Take a look at the photos on this page and see if any of them look similar to spots on your skin. If they do, it’s time to see your doctor.
What to look for:
Solar Keratoses (sunspots)
These rough dry and firm spots are not skin cancers but they do show that your skin has had an overdose of UV radiation. Very occasionally sunspots turn into cancers.
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)
This is the most common but least dangerous type of skin cancer, usually found on the face and neck. BCCs first appear as small, round or flattened lumps, which are red, pale or pearly in colour and may have blood vessels over the surface. If untreated, they will continue to spread into surrounding tissue, eventually breaking down to form ulcers.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)
This skin cancer is less common but more dangerous than BCC. Caused by sunlight, this cancer can occur on the lips, particularly the lower lip. SCCs appear as red scaly areas than may bleed easily and turn into ulcers, or can look like a sore that doesn’t heal.
Melanoma
Melanoma is the least common but most dangerous skin cancer. It can be fatal but nearly all melanomas are cured when treated early. A melanoma usually starts as a new freckle or mole on the skin that changes colour, thickness or shape over weeks or months. It may also develop from an existing mole or appear on parts of the body that have not been exposed to the sun. Melanomas can be black-brown to black, red or blue-black or a combination of colours with an irregular outline or shape. Melanomas can spread to internal organs and cause death if not detected and removed promptly.
Skin cancers are almost always removed – either by surgery (usually under local anesthetic), frozen off with liquid nitrogen, scraped or burned off. Common skin cancers can also be treated with ointments or radiation therapy.
As with all illnesses, prevention is better than cure. The Department of Labour has published “Guidance Notes for the Protection of Workers from Solar UV Radiation”, an excellent tool for all contractors..
If you’re working in the sun, or if you’re responsible for people who work outdoors, you need to make sure slip, slop, slap and wrap is part of your health and safety plan. In fact, the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 requires employers to identify hazards faced by their employees and to ensure that a significant hazard does not result in harm to employees – that means providing protective equipment. And when the hazard’s the sun, then the protective equipment is sunscreen, sunhats and sunglasses. The law also says workers must co-operate – if your employer provides hats, clothing, sunscreen and sunglasses, you must use them.
The necessary information about the risks of sun exposure needs to be provided too. Specifically, training should be designed to achieve awareness of the effects of excessive solar UV radiation; what can be done to minimise the risks and awareness of the availability of information on the early detection of skin cancer by self-checking.
The key to avoiding sun damage is to minimise exposure – ideally you should stay out of the sun when it’s at its most intense. However, in the infrastructure industry that’s hardly ever possible. The next best thing is personal protection. This means protective clothing, hat and sunscreen. Complete reliance should not be placed on one form of protection.
Choose clothing which is lightweight but has a tight weave. Collared shirts are a good idea, as are three-quarter length sleeves and trousers. Also, take care that the clothes you chose to protect you from the sun don’t cause other risks – excessive clothing can cause heat stress and discomfort, very loose clothing can be dangerous around machinery and wide brimmed hats can restrict vision.
When choosing a hat, a dark-coloured, wide-brimmed hat will protect the scalp, ears and forehead, and partially protect the lower face. Legionnaire hats, with their flaps to protect the ears and neck, are also effective. White wide-brimmed hats can increase the amount of sun exposure to the lower face by reflection and the Cancer Society says baseball caps are not recommended.
Your sunscreen should be broad spectrum with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15+. In fact the Cancer Society recommends SPF 30+. The higher the SPF, the greater the protection against UV-B radiation. A factor of 15 gives 15 times the skin’s natural protection. This means that with SPF 15 on, you can stay up to 15 times longer in the sun before burning.
Smear a thick layer of sunscreen on 15 minutes before going out into the sun (don’t rub it in) and reapply every two hours. Put it on all exposed skin – your face, neck, arms and the back of your hands. If you’re sweating a lot, you’ll have to apply it more frequently. Remember, if you’re working with water, use a water-resistant sunscreen.
Lip cancers are relatively common among outdoor workers so it would be wise to use sunscreen on your lips or a lip balm with a rating of SPF 30+.
Sunglasses are important to protect your eyes from UV radiation and should be worn by everyone working outdoor between 11am and 4pm. Just ensure they meet Australia/New Zealand and allow less than five percent UV-A transmission. Some safety glasses provide adequate sun protection.
And finally, watch out for your mates. Some may be a bit reluctant to wear the sunblock or hat and may need encouragement, or you might have noticed something that looks a bit like skin cancer on a co-worker’s skin, so encourage them to get it checked out.
Contractor Vol.31 No.11 December 07-January 2008
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