Sun Protection Safety Tips For Tradies

A male with a beard on a ladder wearing a wide-brimmed Bunnings straw hat for sun safety painting a gutter

Australian summers can reach scorching temperatures. Our practical expert guide offers the top sun protection safety tips for tradies.

The appeal of working outdoors is the reason some tradies get into the profession. But cutting corners on sun safety can get us into all sorts of dangerous strife. Builder and carpenter Matt Rowland, who has been in the business for more than 20 years, learned that the hard way as a young apprentice with little care for sun protection safety. “I was working in Karratha [Western Australia] in the mines, where the temperatures averaged about 48 degrees and it was stifling, dry heat. I was up on a roof and didn’t have the proper clothing on – short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and I hadn’t drunk enough water,” he says.

“I was so young, just 19, and I didn’t think about it, but I came a cropper really quickly.” Helped down from the roof by his workmates, Matt was taken to hospital and treated for heat-related stress after fainting, suffering headaches and vomiting. Now as the principal for his own design and construction business, Rowland Building Co., he knows a thing or two about sun protection safety when taking to the tools in summer.

Two men, one in a blue and white stripped shirt holding a tablet and another in a hat, hoodie and tool belt, stand on a balcony outdoors with the ocean as their background]

Working safely and efficiently in hot weather

While the hotter months see an uptick in activity outside, it brings extra risks which must be managed onsite.

“We take it seriously these days, as most business owners should,” Matt says of his company’s sun protection safety standards. “We supply our workers with PPE [personal protective equipment], including long-sleeved shirts, broad-brimmed hats and sunscreen. On hotter days, we have a 30L drum full of ice and water, so the guys can keep themselves hydrated during the day and on their breaks.”

How hot does it have to be to stop work outside?

While there is no specific temperature that when reached stops work, as Safe Work Australia (SWA) explains, the human body needs to maintain a body temperature of approximately 37 degrees Celsius.

“If the body works too hard to keep cool or starts to overheat, a worker can suffer from a heat-related illness, including fainting, heat rash, heat cramps and heat stroke.” Dehydration is perhaps the most common side effect and why workers should make sure to drink plenty of water or sports drinks (electrolytes) to properly sustain your body’s efforts. If extreme temperatures make work feel unsafe, it’s important to tell your boss or project manager as soon as possible, take breaks or move indoors to carry out alternative work.

Skin cancer statistics Australia

As Cancer Council Australia explains, tradies who work outdoors are also more susceptible to melanoma and related skin cancers than most sectors of the workforce. Workers who spend large parts of their day outdoors are exposed to up to 10 times the UV radiation as indoor workers, dramatically increasing their chances of sun damage and skin cancer, including deadly melanoma.

Between 95 to 99 per cent of skin cancers in Australia are caused by exposure to UV radiation and around 200 melanomas and 34,000 non-melanoma skin cancers are linked to workplace exposure every year. Professor Anne Cust – Chair of Cancer Council’s Skin Cancer Committee – offers this sun protection safety tip: “It takes just 15 minutes of sun exposure for permanent damage to the skin to start, which is why it’s so important for outdoor workers to always use all five forms of sun protection regardless of the UV level.”

Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide

It was for this reason, back in 1981, that Cancer Council creation Sid the Seagull first urged Australians to ‘slip, slop, slap’ – slip on sun protective clothing, slop on water-resistant, broad-spectrum, SPF30 or higher sunscreen and slap on a broad-brimmed hat. Since then, this famous slogan has been expanded to also include ‘seek and slide’ – seek out shade and slide on wrap-around sunglasses, for extra protection.

“We know that not all tradespeople are using all five forms of sun protection,” Professor Cust says. “Results from YouGov’s consumer survey in 2022 show that nearly a quarter (24 per cent) rarely wear sunscreen during the summer months and almost half (46 per cent) rarely apply it during winter months. Yet almost six in 10 (58 per cent) of Australian tradespeople know colleagues in the industry who have had skin cancer.”

What level of SPF do I need?

Workers are encouraged to apply at least seven teaspoons of SPF50+ sunscreen to exposed areas of skin 20 minutes before heading outdoors, allowing it to effectively soak into skin, then repeating the process every two hours.

Summer sun safety: 5 easy tips

Safe Work Australia shares five sun protection safety tips for working in soaring Australian temperatures this summer.

Identify all heat hazards: including radiant heat from working inside roof cavities or on reflective surfaces and consider working indoors or rescheduling activity.
How to dress for working in hot weather: Wear protective clothing, including long-sleeved work shirts, a broad-brimmed hat or a Legionnaire’s cap featuring a flap to protect your head and neck.
Cool the area: Set up shade tents and provide cool drinking water and artificial air cooling, like a portable air-conditioner, to reduce the temperature and keep workers hydrated.
Slip, slop, slap, seek, slide: Slop on an SPF50+ sunscreen, allowing for breaks every two hours to reapply at least seven teaspoons of lotion for effective coverage. Slip on clothing that covers your arms, shoulders and legs, as well as slap on a hat, seek shade and slide on some sunnies when outdoors.
Learn to recognise the signs: Watch out for indications of heat stress, including fatigue, confusion, excessive sweating, headache and nausea or vomiting.