Our ‘Detect & Protect’ scheme is about raising awareness around sun safety and providing construction workers with the tools to ensure they can avoid unnecessary exposure to UV radiation on-site. Read on to find out more about the scheme and what Conquip are doing to improve personnel welfare.
Protection from Skin Cancer
Construction workers are a group of people who are at the greatest risk of contracting skin cancer. When working outdoors you are constantly exposed to the sun and its invisible, but potentially harmful, ultraviolet rays. Too much UV radiation from the sun can damage the DNA in the skin cells, if the damage builds up over time, this can lead to skin cancer.
Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the most avoidable risk of skin cancer, currently linked to an estimated 86% of malignant melanoma cases in the UK.
THE FACTS
- Over 2,000 people in the UK die each year from skin cancer
- It is the 5th most common cancer with 15,400 cases diagnoses each year
- The sun is more dangerous between 11am and 3pm
- People with fair skin are more at risk
DETECT
- Check for any changes to moles or freckles every month
- If you find a mole that changes in size and shape, itches or bleeds for more than a week, get it checked by your doctor
- If you have a scabby pink patch that itches and bleeds for more than a week, get it checked by your doctor
PROTECT
- If you work in strong sunlight, cover up with clothing, a hat and sun screen. Use sun screen that is SPF15 or higher.
- Reapply regularly, taking care to cover ears, face and neck.
- Spend time in the shade.
- Drinking water hydrates and helps to protect your skin
STAY ALIVE
- Damaging your skin by sun burn every two years increases your chances of developing skin cancer.r
- That’s why we’re helping to make sure that you have sun screen and water available at work.
At Conquip we are care about the well-being of others; we are committed to help educate site workers about the dangers of the sun and how they can be avoided.
Throughout the summer we are giving away refillable water bottles, Factor 30 sun lotion and leaflets explaining how to ‘Detect & Protect’, helping construction workers stay hydrated and ‘sun-safe’. Our delivery drivers will also have chilled bottled water on board their trucks to distribute. We are doing this in aid of Cancer Research UK, our chosen charity for 2017.
“We work closely with some of the UK’s biggest construction projects and wanted to do something to address a real risk to workers’ health and life expectancy. Skin cancer is a killer, and cases are on the rise. We want people to understand this and take steps to prevent it every time they work in strong sunlight. We are pleased to be working with Cancer Research UK. Their vision to consistently improve treatments and survival rate, and eradicate cancer aligns with Conquip’s vision and approach, Engineering a Better Environment.”
- Garry Critchley, Managing Director