Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, with rural workers among those most at risk in Australia’s hot, dry climate.

Skin cancer accounts for around 80% of all new cancers diagnosed each year in Australia.

To avoid becoming one of almost 1000 Australians who die from skin cancer each year, it is important for all farmers to adopt sensible sun protection measures, both for their own safety and the safety of their employees.

Sun protection on the farm is vital, given the long periods of outdoor work and exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Australian legislation requires employers to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees. Exposure to UV radiation is identified as a key area where employers are required to minimise risk to their employees.

There are several steps they can take to reduce the skin cancer risk for their employees including:

• Providing shade or moving tasks into shaded areas where possible; and

• Where work needs to be done in direct sunlight, work should be scheduled outside times when UV radiation is at its highest (between 10am and 3pm).

Property owners should encourage their employees to take their own sun protection measures. Outdoor workers should wear clothing that will provide protection from the sun, including long pants and a long-sleeve shirt, a broad-brimmed hat, close-fitting sunglasses and apply a broad spectrum, water resistant SPF30+ sunscreen.

Significantly the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has also recognised the importance of sun protection for outdoor workers, including those working in farming, agriculture and horticulture.

Employees may be able to claim for the cost of sunscreen, sunglasses and hats that were purchased to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays.

Australia has come a long way since the introduction of Sid Seagull and the “Slip, Slop, Slap” campaign which began over two decades ago. However, it is still vitally important that Australians heed sun protection messages.

One of the most encouraging factors in skin cancer incidence is Australian survival rates, which are generally higher than the rest of the world because we are now more aware of the signs, leading to earlier detection.

For further information about sun protection, visit The Cancer Council Australia’s website, <www.cancer.org.au/sunsmart> and your local Cancer Council website:

• The Cancer Council NSW – www.cancercouncil.com.au

• The Cancer Council Victoria – www.cancervic.org.au; www.sunsmart.com.au

• The Cancer Council Western Australia – www.cancerwa.asn.au

• The Cancer Council South Australia – www.cancersa.org.au

• The Cancer Council Tasmania – www.cancertas.org.au

• The Cancer Council ACT – www.actcancer.org

• The Cancer Council Northern Territory – www.cancercouncilnt.com.au

• Queensland Cancer Fund – www.qldcancer.com.au

For further information about claiming for the cost of sun protection products, contact the ATO, www.ato.gov.au.

Source: Farm Business Magazine - www.farmbusiness.com.au