Third of outdoor workers never use sun protection

With the UK’s early summer weather finally becoming sunnier, a survey has warned that nearly a third of outdoor workers (30%) never apply UV sun protection cream while at work, often because their employer fails to provide any.

The poll of 4,435 adults, of whom 558 were outdoor workers, by skincare company SC Johnson Professional also found that more than a third of these (34%) claimed nothing would encourage them to do so, so illustrating the scale of the potential challenge faced by employers.

This is despite the fact that, according to research, those who work outdoors have a higher than average risk of developing skin cancer.

In the survey, a third of those who never used UV protection at work said they didn’t think it was necessary to do so. More than a quarter (28%) argued they didn’t burn easily in the sun, citing this as their reason for never using UV protection.

Worryingly, 16% of those who never used sun protection at work said this was because it wasn’t provided by their employer.

Yet, having access to protection provided by their workplace was cited by almost a quarter (24%) as something that would encourage them to use UV protection.

More than a fifth (22%) also stated that having sun protection cream accessible when needed would encourage usage.

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While (34%) were adamant that nothing would encourage them to change their mind, nearly two-thirds (61%) of those who worked outdoors did agree that understanding the effects of UV damage would encourage them to use sun cream at work.

When comparing responses from those who worked outside more than 25% of the time with those who spent more than half their working time outdoors, the survey found little difference between attitudes towards UV protection.