May 2026: Sun Safety on Site.
Five questions. Thirty seconds. No pressure — only you see the score (unless you fancy sharing it).
Sun Safety on Site
May is Sun Awareness Week. UK construction workers are the highest-risk group for skin cancer of any occupational group — five quick questions on UV, SPF and what your team needs to know.
- You get one shot per question — pick wisely.
- We’ll tell you the right answer either way.
- Score + share at the end (only if you want to).
How many UK workers develop skin cancer each year because of work-related sun exposure?
IOSH’s No Time to Lose research puts it at ~1,500 new cases and ~241 deaths every year from work-related UV exposure. Construction, scaffolding, groundworks and roofing are the highest-risk trades.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, sun exposure on site is…
HASWA 1974 + the Management of H&S at Work Regs 1999 require employers to assess and control all reasonably foreseeable risks — including UV. HSE classifies solar UV as an occupational carcinogen.
At what UV Index does Cancer Research UK / WHO recommend taking sun protection action?
WHO and CRUK guidance: cover up, slap on sunscreen and seek shade once the UV Index hits 3+. In the UK that’s most days from April to September — not just the heatwaves.
How much UV radiation can pass through cloud cover on a "grey" day?
Up to 80% of UV passes straight through cloud (CRUK / British Assoc. of Dermatologists). UV doesn’t equal heat — you can burn on an overcast 16°C day in May just as easily as in July sunshine.
You’re checking a mole on your forearm using the ABCDE rule. What does the "E" stand for?
ABCDE: Asymmetry, Border, Colour, Diameter (>6mm), Evolving. Anything that changes — size, shape, colour, sensation, bleeding — gets a same-week GP appointment. Early melanoma is highly treatable.