Central Safety Group Melbourne

One of our excellent speakers from the November event, Shannon Jones from Sunsmart, has shared a valuable new resource available on the SunSmart website, the Stakeholder Toolkit: SunSmart Workplaces

The toolkit includes:
SunSmart resources for your workplace - you can download a guide to skin cancer and outdoor work as well as a sample sun protection policy. Yoou can also download workplace posters and brochures to promote sun safety.

UV safety training for workers - SunSmart has a range of online and in-person UV safety training programs and education that can be tailored to your workplace.

Content to share - you will find social media content, including 6 different posts. There are also email & newsletter templates.

The content reminds us that we need to consider sun protection all year round due to the dangers of UV exposure. It's not just an issue when the sun shines brightly in summer!

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Here comes the sun

What a timely presentation this was, especially as we were enjoying a lovely 25 degree day in Melbourne. It seemed like quite a benign day, but Shannon Jones from Sunsmart soon disabused us of that idea: the UV index was 8, which meant that the exposure standard would be exceeded after only 10 minutes in the sun. This was just one of the eye-opening nuggets of information throughout both Shannon's and Dominic's presentations.

Shannon explained the difference between temperature and UV and how the former is no indication of the latter. For instance, a couple of years ago in January, there was a day of 38 degrees when the UV index was 9.9; two days later the temperature was 21 degrees, but the UV index was 10.5. Because UV radiation can't be seen or felt, one needs to be aware of the UV index. One way is via one of Sunsmart's many free resources, the Global UV App: https://www.sunsmart.com.au/resources/sunsmart-app.

Shannon also provided guidance on protective clothing, including a hint on how you can easily check your clothing's protective qualities. She emphasised how clothing is more important than sunscreen and encouraged us to "get to know your skin".

Dominic Melling focussed on heat exposure, both outdoors and indoors. The effects are more than those that immediately come to mind, such as heat stress and heat stroke. Extreme heat can also affect motor skills as well as increase irritability. There is also evidence in the construction industry to show how a rise in temperature correlates to a rise in WorkCover claims.

Dominic pointed to a number of resources, but said that the WorkSafe Victoria 2-page guidance note is a good place to start: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/resources/working-heat.

Both presentations were so full of information that the video of the event is highly recommended. There is a minor glitsch around the 43-minute mark, but it doesn't affect your viewing.

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