Sun safety measures among construction workers in Britain

• Published in: Occupational medicine (Oxford) Vol. 61; no. 6; pp. 430 - 433
• Main Authors: Madgwick, P., Houdmont, J., Randall, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.09.2011
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Construction Industry - standards; Dermatology; Drinking Behavior; Health Behavior; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Occupational Exposure - prevention & control; Protective Clothing - utilization; Safety; Sunlight - adverse effects; Sunscreening Agents - administration & dosage; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tumors of the skin and soft tissue. Premalignant lesions; United Kingdom; Young Adult; United Kingdom; Great Britain; Europe; British Isles; skin cancer; solar radiation; sun safety; Construction workers; Human; Skin disease; Construction; Buildings; Malignant tumor; Occupational exposure; Sun; Skin cancer; Construction industry; Prevention; Work safety; Safety measure; Worker; Skin; Solar radiation; Radiation protection; Occupational medicine; Cancer
• ISSN: 0962-7480; 1471-8405
• DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqr054

Background Relative to other occupational groups in Britain, construction workers have a high incidence of skin cancer attributable to sun exposure. The importance of sun safety measures to minimize the risk of skin cancer is recognized in the literature; however, little is known about the factors associated with their use by construction workers. Knowledge in this area could help inform interventions to encourage sun safety behaviour within the sector. Aims To investigate socio-demographic and occupational characteristics associated with the use of sun safety measures among construction workers in Britain. Methods Data collection was by means of a self-administered questionnaire, which was sent to 360 construction workers. Information collected included socio-demographic and occupational characteristics and the use of sun safety measures. Results Participants worked outdoors for an average of 6.6 h/day. Three specific sun safety measures were used by the majority of respondents. Logistic regression analyses showed that certain socio-demographic and occupational factors were associated with the use of sun safety measures. In particular, receipt of sun safety training was positively associated with the wearing of long sleeved, loose fitting tops and trousers (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.02-2.80) and sunglasses (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.10-3.13). Conclusions The results highlight the importance of employer-led sun safety interventions in the British construction industry. Interventions that take account of demographic and occupational characteristics are likely to have a positive impact in terms of improving workers' use of sun safety measures.