Young Tradie Shares Tips on Skin Cancer Protection

Dan Warner is a young tradie who works in Queensland, the region with one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Having a good understanding of the dangers of skin cancer, particularly when working outdoors, Dan shares his thoughts on sun protection in and out of the workplace.

Fortunately for Dan he is well aware of his increased risk of skin cancer and what he can do to reduce that risk. Unfortunately this awareness doesn’t translate to all outdoor workers, with many still failing to apply proper sun protection strategies while outdoors. Many workplaces themselves in Australia are still guilty of not providing the adequate sun safety education and forms of sun protection for their workers.

A responsibility which some workplaces are not taking seriously and it is costing them in increased injuries, lost productivity and liability. During 2000-2009 in Australia the total payout for Workers Compensation Claims related to skin cancer/sun damage was $38.4 Million.

Research information released by the Cancer Council Victoria last year found that only half of employees spending time outdoors reported that their workplace provided sunscreen (52%), and less than half provided hats (45%). This shows that more work needs to be done by workplaces to ensure their employees and business remains at low risk of skin cancer injuries.

Spotscreen perform onsite skin cancer screening and sun safety education for businesses across Australia. Spotscreen programs are responsible for educating thousands of outdoor workers across the country every year, while the onsite screening programs have helped save the lives of many Australians unsuspecting they were carrying skin cancer.

For more information on how Spotscreen can help your workplace – where ever you are in Australia, contact (08) 9467 0914 or email enquiries@spotscreen.net.au