KEY POINTS:
Outdoor workers are more likely to use sun protection measures if their workplace has a supportive approach to the issue, research shows.
The University of Otago pilot study found that outdoor workers who felt that their workplaces supported healthy behaviour were more likely to protect themselves from excessive sun exposure.
It suggested a workplace-level approach to sun safety was more effective than an individual one.
The study, published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, is the first of its kind in New Zealand.
It surveyed 74 horticultural, roading and building workers at 14 Central Otago workplaces during summer last year.
"Overall, we found outdoor workers' perceptions of their workplace's support for sun protection and other health-related behaviours strongly influenced their personal protective behaviour," said the study's co-author, Tony Reeder.
Greater attention needed to be paid to ensuring existing guidelines were translated into workplace policies and practices, he said.
"To foster a supportive safety climate, skin cancer control programmes should also be developed alongside other workplace health and safety interventions."
Suggestions included occupational health nurses providing direct workplace training, including skin checks for workers.
"Focusing on the damage that sun exposure causes to the skin and the eyes might help increase outdoor workers' understanding of their personal risk."
Employers should provide sun protective gear, and supervisors needed to promote and support their use and set an example.
- NZPA
