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Empy Health PDF
Empy Health PDF
Employee Health
730 www.safety.ambest.com
• Drink plenty of cool water (one cup every 15 to 20 ble light. To determine if the clothing will protect you, try this
8
minutes). test: Place your hand between the fabric and a light source.
• Wear light, loose fitting, breathable clothing (such as If you can see your hand through the fabric, the garment of-
cotton). fers little protection against sun exposure.
• Take frequent short breaks in cool shaded areas to al- 2. Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Ex-
OSHA
low your body to cool down. perts recommend products with a Sun Protection Factor
• Avoid eating large meals before working in hot environ- (SPF) of at least 15. The number of the SPF represents the
ments. level of sunburn protection provided by the sunscreen. An
• Avoid caffeine and alcoholic beverages. These bever- SPF 15 blocks out 93 percent of the burning UV rays; an
ages make the body lose water and increase the risk for SPF 30 blocks out 97 percent of the burning UV rays.
heat illnesses. 3. Wear a hat. A wide brim hat is ideal because it protects
OSHA further advises that workers may be at increased the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose and scalp. A baseball
risk if they have had a heat-induced illness in the past and if cap provides some protection for the front and top of the
they wear personal protective equipment, such as respira- head, but not for the back of the neck or the ears where skin
tors or suits. cancers commonly develop.
UV Radiation 4. Wear sunglasses that block UV rays. UV-absorbent
Outdoor workers should be made aware of the dangers of sunglasses can help protect your eyes from sun damage.
exposure to UV. According to OSHA, sunlight is the main Ideal sunglasses should block 99 to 100 percent of UV radi-
source of UV known to damage the skin and to cause can- ation. Check the label to make sure they do. Darker glasses
cer. The amount of UV exposure depends on the strength of do not necessarily provide better protection. UV protection
the light, the length of exposure and whether the skin is pro- comes from an invisible chemical applied to the lenses, not
tected. There are no safe UV rays or safe suntans. Sun ex- from the color or darkness of the lenses.
posure at any age can cause skin cancer. Skin and eyes are 5. Limit direct sun exposure. UV rays are most intense
most susceptible to sun damage. Your workers need to be when the sun is high in the sky, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
especially careful in the sun if they have: If you are unsure about the sun’s intensity, take the shadow
• numerous moles, irregular moles or large moles; test: If your shadow is shorter than you are, the sun’s rays
• freckles or the tendency to burn before tanning; are the strongest. Seek shade whenever possible.
• fair skin, or blond, red or light brown hair; or
• the tendency or need to spend a lot of time outdoors. (Editor’s note: You may also want to check the UV Index
In addition to skin cancer, sun exposure can cause pre- for your area. The UV Index can usually be found in the local
mature aging of the skin, wrinkles, cataracts and other eye newspaper or on TV and radio news broadcasts. It gives
problems. the expected noontime UV radiation reaching the earth’s
OSHA suggests five important steps for protection surface on a scale of 1 to 10+. It is forecast daily for 58 cit-
against UV radiation and skin cancer: ies. The higher the number, the greater the exposure to ra-
1. Cover up. Wear clothing to protect as much of your diation. For more information, consult the National
skin as possible. Wear clothing that does not transmit visi- Weather Service at www.nws.noaa.gov./om/uvi.htm) ■