Creating a UV Safety Plan for Your Outdoor Workforce
July 29, 2024 | Winston
July is recognized as UV Safety Month each year, and the goal is to educate the public on the importance of sun safety. With an estimated one in five Americans developing skin cancer by age seventy, employers must promote sun safety practices among their outdoor workforce. Today, we’re looking at how employers can create a UV safety plan for their outdoor workforce this month and all year long.
Sun Safety Education
To instill lifelong sun safety in your employees, educate them on the dangers of prolonged sun exposure, including proper sunscreen application, UV protective clothing, and the importance of shaded break areas. Beyond skin damage, employees should be aware of heat-related risks like heat strokes and dehydration. Training them to recognize and respond to signs of heat illnesses can significantly mitigate these risks, ensuring a safer workforce.
Devising an Action Plan
Now that your team is educated on sun safety basics, it’s time to develop an action plan tailored to your workforce. If your team is mobile, regular shade may not be feasible; instead, provide UV-protective clothing and sunscreen to ensure protection everywhere they go. For construction workers spending long hours in the sun, ensure the availability of tents, water, and sun protection around the clock to prevent heat stroke and dehydration.
Benefits to Support Health
Damage from the sun can go beyond the day-to-day dangers of exposure. In fact, having five or more blistering sunburns between the ages of fifteen and twenty increases one’s risk of melanoma by 80%. Therefore, it’s not enough for employers to offer on-the-job education and practices against sun exposure. If your workforce is primarily based outdoors, a critical illness insurance plan can protect workers at high risk for developing skin cancers due to outdoor labor by safeguarding them from debt caused by these conditions.
At Winston, we can help your HR and Benefits departments strategize and execute a critical illness plan to finalize your UV safety plan and solidify a robust approach to sun safety for your team. Our team of professionals can also help design, execute, and distribute benefits communications to your employees to help them understand these new offerings.
Are you interested in adjusting your offerings to include more sun safety initiatives? Contact us to learn how we can consult with your insurance broker and devise a benefits package to suit your team’s distinct needs!
