{"id":746,"date":"2018-12-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cos.p10.sol1.net\/uncategorized\/save-your-skin-how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-great-outdoors\/"},"modified":"2022-07-18T06:45:34","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T06:45:34","slug":"save-your-skin-how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-great-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/cospedia\/save-your-skin-how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-great-outdoors","title":{"rendered":"Save Your Skin: How to Protect Yourself from the Great Outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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If you or your staff work outdoors, complete skin protection is not just desirable, it\u2019s a legal requirement.<\/p>

The Australian sun can be lethal. The incidence of skin cancer in Australia is one of the highest in the world \u2013 two to three times the rates experienced in the UK, USA and Canada.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

According to\u00a0Melanoma Institute Australia<\/a>,\u00a0it’s the third most common cancer in Australia and 1,400 people will die from the disease each year, with\u00a0the majority of\u00a0skin cancers caused by sun exposure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Working outdoors can also present other risks to health and wellbeing that should also not be ignored \u2013 but often are. For instance, flies and mosquitoes can spread serious diseases. Flies can carry up to six million bacteria on their feet, spreading diseases\u00a0such as\u00a0salmonella, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid and cholera.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Mosquitoes can carry and spread diseases through their bites, including Murray Valley encephalitis virus, Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus and dengue virus.<\/p>

Who needs sun safety?<\/p>

People can be blas\u00e9 about sun safety, and its importance is so often underestimated. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Construction workers, landscapers and park rangers all need sunscreen as much as your local lifeguards and fishermen. Anyone who\u2019s out directing traffic or fixing roads will need sun protection like they need their hi-vis, and people in outdoor car\u00a0sale yards need protection from the sun like we need protection from their cheeky sales pitches.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Many large sporting events supply sunscreen for athletes, such as City 2 Surf in Sydney or Park Run. Schools often have a handy supply of sunscreen to keep students protected, which is especially useful when kids\u2019\u00a0priorities\u00a0are to go and play in the sunshine without much thought about sun damage.<\/p>

Prevention is always better than a cure<\/p>

With the correct products and information, you can help to prevent long-term damage to your health and wellbeing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Make sure the products you use and recommend meet Australian\u00a0Standards and\u00a0ensure there is some shade\u00a0present to retreat to for breaks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Remember\u00a0to regularly take steps towards\u00a0your\u00a0own skin safety and make sure\u00a0you\u00a0properly use all the safety products you\u2019re provided with, including sun protection clothing and hats.<\/p>

\u25ba Wear sun\u00a0protection\u00a0clothing, ideally with long sleeves and full-length pant legs\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25baSPF 30 or higher sunscreen<\/a>\u00a0that is broad spectrum and water-resistant\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25baHeadwear\u00a0<\/a>that protects the face, head, neck and ears\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25baSunglasses or safety glasses\u00a0that provide full UV protection\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25baLip balm<\/a>\u00a0with an SPF of at least 30+\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25baProvide\u00a0water<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0electrolyte replacements<\/a>\u00a0to keep everyone hydrated\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25baUse appropriate\u00a0insect repellants<\/a>\u00a0to safeguard from germs and bites\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25ba Provide information on how to properly\u00a0check for skin cancer<\/a> <\/b><\/p>

\u25ba\u00a0Apply sunscreen 20 minutes\u00a0<\/b>before going out into the sun so it can bind to the skin\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25ba\u00a0Re-apply sunscreen every 2 hours\u00a0<\/b>to maintain consistent protection\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25ba\u00a0Apply enough sunscreen for full protection<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b>– an average-sized adult should apply more than a teaspoon of sunscreen to each arm, the face, neck and ears, each leg, and the torso if it\u2019s exposed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25ba\u00a0Check the expiry date<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 most sunscreens last about two to three years\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25ba\u00a0Store sunscreen correctly<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 sunscreen should be stored at less than 30\u00b0C. The effectiveness of the product might be decreased by storing it in the glove box or a hot vehicle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u25ba\u00a0Talk to a chemist or doctor if\u00a0<\/b>you have<\/b>\u00a0a reaction to a\u00a0<\/b>particular sunscreen<\/b>.\u00a0<\/b>Not all sunscreens contain the same ingredients, so there is likely to be another brand that they can safely use.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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No products were found with the applied settings<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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If you or your staff work outdoors, complete skin protection is not just desirable, it\u2019s a legal requirement. The Australian sun can be lethal. The incidence of skin cancer in Australia is one of the highest in the world \u2013 two to three times the rates experienced in the UK, USA and Canada.\u00a0 According to\u00a0Melanoma … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":747,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,31],"tags":[413,414,415,416,417,418,419,420,421],"class_list":["post-746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cospedia","category-health-wellbeing","tag-skin-health","tag-skin-protection","tag-sun-protection","tag-sun-protection-clothing","tag-sun-protection-hat","tag-sun-safety","tag-sunscreen","tag-uv-protection","tag-whs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=746"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25723,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions\/25723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}