Skin cancer is a major risk for outdoor workers. Elspeth McLean reports.
Health Promotion manager for the society's Otago and Southland division Penelope Scott said it was most important to wear a "decent hat" which was wide-brimmed to protect the head and neck which were "very common sites of skin cancer".
Caps did not protect ears or the neck and people often lost "bits of their ears" to skin cancer.
Suitable hats and clothing should be people's first line of defence, rather than relying on sunscreen which had to be applied frequently to be effective, she said.
High temperatures could also reduce the effectiveness of sunscreen and people should keep it in a "chilly bag" to ensure it kept below 30degC.
Some outdoor workers seemed not to realise they were risking skin cancers of all types by constant sun exposure over time.
Skin cancer, if the shortening of life is taken into account, is estimated to cost the country about $120 million a year.
The society was trying to encourage employers of outdoor workers to create a culture where sun protection was seen as important.
Fulton Hogan safety quality training and environmental manager Robert Pomare said hats and sunscreen were provided and long sleeved shirts were also promoted for the 210 staff.
The full-brimmed hats were most popular with older employees while younger workers were more inclined to wear caps.
Long-term workers sharing their experiences about sun damage was valuable, but there were always some people who "just don't listen".
Managers were encouraged to reinforce the sun safety messages regularly, he said. Delta contract manager Peter Walker said the company supplied sunscreen and hats, but there were some jobs such as lawnmowing which could not be done in a full-brimmed hat because it was difficult to wear ear muffs at the same time.
The hat issue was "a hard one" because "everyone has got their own taste" and while full-brimmed hats might be promoted, some preferred to wear caps.
Mr Walker said the workers were "forever coming in raiding the cupboard for sunscreen".
It was harder to get acceptance among the 90 parks staff for wearing long sleeves - "we can't tell them what to wear on the job. We do what we can to provide protection".
The company regularly reinforced the "slip, slop, slap" message in information issued to workers. Staff did have to take some responsibility, he said.
Ms Scott said she had stopped to talk to a "very sunburnt young woman directing traffic" once and asked her if she realised how sunburnt she was and the woman, who might have applied sunblock once, was quite unaware. People wearing high-visibility vests with bare arms was quite a common sight.
Changing people's behaviour took a long time, unless it was reinforced by law, Ms Scott said, citing the decades it had taken to reduce cigarette smoking.
A University of Otago study of 77 outdoor workers in Central Otago in the summer of 2007 showed only 5% of workers were wearing a wide-brimmed hat and fewer than one-third were using sunscreen.
Researcher Dr Tony Reeder said he did not have any good evidence significant positive change had occurred since then, although he knew some employers were giving the issue greater consideration.
Sun safety was often not a high priority when compared with risk of acute injuries which was "understandable, given their immediacy".
Further research was planned for next year, supported by the University of Otago and the Cancer Society, would begin with forestry workers.
Department of Labour guidelines on protection from sun exposure show employers have a responsibility under the Health and Safety in Employment Act to minimise the risk faced by outdoor workers, but "workers also have individual responsibilities to look after their own health".
It recommends a consultative approach to determining how far the responsibilities of the employer extends.
In some instances minimising exposure could include changing the time of day when a task was carried out, but that was not always practical. With personal protection, complete reliance should not be placed on any one for of protection. Care had to be taken to ensure sun protection did not create other dangers.
"Excessive clothing may lead to discomfort and heat stress; very loose clothing may be hazardous when worn near machinery'. Wide brimmed-hats may restrict vision," the department says.
SunSmart tips
Five sun protection tips for workers
1. Slip into some shade - work in shaded areas whenever possible and take breaks in shade.
2. Slip on sun-protective clothing - choose long pants and a long-sleeved collared shirt.
3. Slap on a hat - wear a hat protecting the head, face, neck and ears with at least a 7.5cm brim or a bucket-style hat. Use a brim attachment with a neck flap with a hard hat or helmet.
4. Slop sunscreen on all exposed skin - Chose SPF30+ sunscreen. Apply at least 15 minutes before going outside. Reapply at least every two hours.
5. Wrap on some sunglasses - wear close-fitting, wrap-around styles. Look for the label AS/NZS 1067:2003.
NZ skin cancer rates
• Most common cancer in New Zealand
• 2000 new cases of melanoma each year
• 250 deaths from melanoma annually
• 11% of new cancer registrations are melanoma
• 100 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer yearly
• 67,000 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer yearly
Types of skin cancer
• Melanoma - least common but most serious. Can spread rapidly and is life-threatening if left untreated.
• Squamous cell carcinoma - easily treated if found early, but can be fatal if left untreated.
• Basal cell carcinoma - the most common and least dangerous skin cancer
Source: Cancer Society