Sun Safety at Work Canada (SSAWC) launched its website sunsafetyatwork.ca to support workplaces in helping protect their employees from the dangers of exposure to sunlight.
The website supports the development of a sun safety program as part of an occupational health and safety management system. More than 70 free resources on sun safety are available to download from the website. A range of resources are also available in French, with Spanish and Punjabi resources to come.
According to CAREX Canada, approximately 1.5 million Canadians are exposed to sun at work. The largest industrial groups exposed to the sun in Canada are construction, farming, and building care and maintenance. Outdoor workers have up to a 3.5 times greater risk of skin cancer than indoor workers – and at least 5,000 skin cancers each year are attributed to occupational sun exposure.
The SSAWC project involved partnering with 17 workplaces across Canada to help develop sun safety programs. The learnings from these workplaces as well as a review of best practices from Canada and other countries were the foundation for the website.
The success of this project is largely attributable to the involvement of national, provincial, regional organizations across Canada. The full list of contributors is available at sunsafetyatwork.ca/about-us.
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