Get yourself covered!

Very recently we featured a handy UV Index chart, which we said would be a good addition to any site office or canteen.

Following on from that, and almost certainly prompted by the sunshine we have been experiencing recently, there has been a large number of articles in both national and trade press about the risks of melanoma as a result of exposure to the sun. Having read most of the articles, two statistics stand out. Firstly, at present 50 people per year are dying as a result of malignant melanomas attributable to exposure to solar radiation while at work. That is almost 1 person per week and if that was not bad enough 5 people per day, on average, are being diagnosed with a form of skin cancer contracted at work.

We make no apologies for repeating this subject as, while in numerical terms it is not comparable with asbestos related diseases, this is something we can do something about very easily. Simply covering up and using high factor sun cream is usually all it takes, although you will find more comprehensive advice here:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/indg147.pdf

To finish on a personal note, those of you who know John Woodward well, will know that his father died from skin cancer, almost certainly from service in the far east during World War 2 and long hours in his garden at home. So it is something we believe needs addressing and we will continue to get the message out there.