Implementation of Ultraviolet Radiation Safety Measures for Outdoor Workers

Maguire, Erin; Spurr, Alison

doi:10.1177/1203475416683389

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…These findings also highlight scope for developments in the way that sunscreen is made available with a view towards altering perceptions concerning ease of use. Our findings are consistent with those of studies showing that outdoor workers perceive a host of issues, including inconvenience, as barriers to occupational sunscreen application [37]. The availability of pocket-sized single-application sachets might encourage reapplication during delivery rounds.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Farmers in the Midwestern United States similarly identified inconvenience as a disincentive to wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with 45% of survey respondents reporting such a hat gets in the way of their work [36]. A review of the literature on barriers to the wearing a wide-brimmed hat when working in the sun found that baseball-style caps were preferred by the majority of outdoor workers and these served to keep the sun out of the eyes, leaving little impetus for change [37]. These results highlight an imperative for the development of a hat suitable for company-wide distribution that provides shade to the face, the ears, and the neck without obstructing vision and remaining fashionable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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UK Postal Delivery Workers’ Occupational Sun Safety: Using Behavior Change Theories to Identify Intervention Pathways

Houdmont

Randall

Cheyne

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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Postal delivery workers have substantial sun exposure. In the United Kingdom (UK) a high proportion of workers possesses a sun sensitive skin type. This population is at elevated risk for skin cancer, yet uptake of sun safety practices is low. Studies are needed to identify the underlying factors that contribute to the uptake of occupational sun safety practices that may be targeted during behavior change interventions. This study integrated the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Transtheoretical Model’s stages of change (SoC) as guiding frameworks to identify underlying beliefs that influence UK postal delivery workers’ uptake of occupational sun safety practices. Thirty-four workers participated in semi-structured interviews that used the SoC to establish current receptiveness to and adoption of two sun safety practices (using sunscreen of at least sun protection factor (SPF) 30 on exposed skin and wearing a wide-brimmed hat when working outdoors in the summer). Beliefs underlying current practices were elicited in accordance with the TPB and stratified by the SoC. For sunscreen use and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, 64% and 3% of participants were in the action or maintenance SoC, respectively. Behavioral and control beliefs differed by SoC, with those in the earlier stages more likely than those in the latter stages to report negative attitudes to, and difficulty enacting, sun safety practices. Normative beliefs concerning the views of colleagues and employers towards sunscreen were relatively consistent across the SoC. This study highlights the need for tailored and targeted behavior change interventions. The SoC-stratified accounts of the influence of TPB components on behavior provide a basis for bespoke interventions that reflect inter-individual and inter-practice differences in their working mechanisms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

UK Postal Delivery Workers’ Occupational Sun Safety: Using Behavior Change Theories to Identify Intervention Pathways

Houdmont

Randall

Cheyne

et al. 2019

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…As discussed previously, shade seeking at midday may not be practical in some situations (i.e., roadside construction), and may also be discouraged because of employer perceptions (i.e., lost productivity or financial constraints) (14). To confront these barriers, several studies have reported that it is important for workplaces to establish a culture that promotes prevention, including resources for protection, employee training, and policy or mandates (13,(27)(28)(29). Participants in a qualitative study on the barriers to and facilitators of sun safety interventions discussed the importance of senior-level engagement in workplace health promotion (30).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategic Task and Break Timing to Reduce Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure in Outdoor Workers

Peters

Tenkate

Heer

et al. 2020

Front. Public Health

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Objectives: Public health messaging about sun avoidance strategies is often not practical for outdoor workers. The objective of this study was to use personal monitoring data to determine when peak UVR exposure occurs for outdoor workers, estimate how much UVR could be reduced by altering the timing of shady tasks or breaks during peak exposure times, and descriptively compare these to peak periods of ambient UVR. Ultimately, we aim to provide evidence-based sun avoidance recommendations for outdoor workers in British Columbia, Canada. Methods: UVR exposure data [standard erythemal dose (SED)] were collected during the 2013 summer months in Vancouver, using personal electronic dosimeters that sampled once per minute for an average of 4.4 working days (range: 1–7 days). Mixed-effect models were used to estimate the 60-, 30-, and 15-min time intervals at which maximum exposure occurred for the months of July and August. Using these time intervals, UVR exposure during peak periods was summarized as SED and as a percentage of the total daily exposure. Ambient UVR was also collected using data from the nearest Brewer spectrophotometer station and parallel analyses were conducted. Results: There were 73 workers and 321 participant-days available for analysis. Models indicated that periods of maximum exposure for 15-, 30-, and 60-min intervals began at 12:28, 12:17 pm, and 11:52 am, respectively, for sunny days in July. These periods were similar in August. The median exposure during these time periods and the potential for reducing UVR was 0.03 SED (2.8% potential daily exposure reduction), 0.09 SED (7.1%), and 0.18 SED (15.9%), respectively. However, there was a large range in exposure estimates as some workers experienced up to 84.8% of their exposure in the peak 60-min interval. Conclusion: Skin cancer prevention messaging does not include practical messages for outdoor workers and providing times of peak UVR help to identify times when the greatest reductions in exposure can occur. Prevention measures including shady breaks, increased sun protection, and task reorganization during these peak times are recommended during these peak times to reduce UVR exposure among those at highest risk.

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“…Nevertheless, the USPSTF does recommend interventions aimed at education and prevention. Messaging and preventative efforts for skin cancer have been devised and implemented on a local, national, and international level with direct patient intervention and policy changes to decrease the skin cancer burden [ 6 – 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%