Outdoor Worker Protection
The sun exposes outdoor workers to both heat and solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This puts workers at risk for heat stress, skin cancer, sun burn, skin damage, cataracts, and other eye conditions.
Workplaces can embed sun safety into their occupational health and safety management systems or program to protect their workers.
Sun Safety at Work Canada
Sun Safety at Work Canada wants workplaces to be safer for people who work outside and has developed a comprehensive range of resources to support workplaces to become more sun safe.
Visit sunsafetyatwork.ca for information, resources, and a tool to help you build your own sun safety program.
This project is funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Health Canada. It is a research, policy, and practice partnership between Ryerson University, Occupational Cancer Research Centre at Cancer Care Ontario, Alberta Health Services, Canadian Cancer Society Nova Scotia, Canadian Dermatology Association, CAREX Canada, Occupational Health Nurses Association of Nova Scotia, Sun Safe Nova Scotia Coalition, and WorkSafe BC.
Sun Safety at Work Resources
October 2017
Report: Burden of Occupational Cancer in Ontario
Solar UV radiation is one of the most common occupational carcinogen exposures in Ontario, second only to shift work. All outdoor workers are at risk of solar UV radiation exposure. Approximately 450,000 Ontario workers are exposed, causing an estimated 1,400 non-melanoma skin cancer cases per year
July 2017
Sun safety video for lifeguards from incorporating new sun safety messages from Sun Smart Saskatchewan
March, 2017
Sun Safety at Work presentation:
Presented by CAREX Canada, Ryerson University & SunSafe Nova Scotia
April 2017
Cancer care Ontario Factsheet:
Outdoor workers in Ontario may not be adequately protecting themselves from the sun. A 2015 survey by the Sun Safety at Work Canada project found that although the majority of surveyed outdoor workers reported always or usually wearing long pants (96%) or sunglasses (64%), fewer workers reported always or usually wearing sunscreen (38%), long-sleeved shirts (29%) or a hard hat with a brim (25%).
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