While it may be the last month of summer, the days are still warm, sometimes scorchers in certain areas and summer and sun safety is of paramount importance, especially for employees. SAI Global have provided seven tips for employees to stay safe at work for this last month of summer.
Although their tips are aimed at outdoor workers, any supervisor or manager can provide these tips to their employees and employees can take them on board. Outdoor supervisors and managers will need to assess if their sun safe work items such as protective clothing, hats and safety sunglasses meet Australian standards. SAI Global points out the importance of sun safe work items meeting Australian Standards as outdoor employees are at risk of skin cancer, sun burn and heat exhaustion, especially if they work under direct sunlight.
SAI Global provides seven specific summer safety tips relating to clothing, shade and sunscreen, health and compliance with Australian Standards. SAI Global’s summer safety tips are to not choose protective items based on appearance or price, seeking as much shade as possible, purchasing Australian Standard certified products, wearing correct clothing, knowing when to take a break, keeping hydrating and remembering to wear sunscreen.
SAI Global emphasises the importance of not choosing protective items based on appearance or price with example of the darkness of the lenses of sunglasses not necessarily meaning that the eyes are fully protected from UV rays. They also emphasise the need for correct protective clothing, such a broad-brimmed hat that shades the face, ears and neck, as well as the fact that different materials provide different UV protection.They also emphasise the need for employees to remember to find as much shade as possible and to remember to wear suncreen and reapply it, as well as making sure employees keep hydrated and take regular breaks.
SAI Global also emphasises purchasing certified products. They state that certified products should be labelled with the appropriate certification mark, the Australian Standard reference, the name of the organisation, the date it was certified and a certification licence number.
More information on SAI’s Global’s summer safety tips can be found here.