Hazards: Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight · Sunburn · Long-term skin damage and skin cancer risk · Eye exposure to UV · Reflected UV from water, sand, snow and light-colored surfaces
Why it matters
Outdoor work is a UV exposure that runs for a whole career, and nothing on a jobsite measures it. OSHA has said in writing that there are no OSHA-mandated exposure limits for ultraviolet radiation — there is no meter, no PEL and no alarm. The damage is cumulative and it does not hurt on the day it happens.
The forecast does exist, though. EPA and the National Weather Service publish a daily UV Index: 1-2 is low, 3-7 means protection is needed, and 8 or higher calls for extra protection. UV comes through on cloudy days, and light-colored concrete, sheet metal, water and snow all bounce it back up under a hat brim.
Key points
- Check the UV Index with the weather. Same forecast, one line down. At 8 or above, the middle of the day is the exposure to plan around.
- Use the shadow rule. Shadow shorter than you means high UV; shadow taller than you means it has eased off. It works without a phone.
- Shade and clothing first, sunscreen second. OSHA's own position: wide-brim hats and long sleeves are the effective protection, with sunscreen where that is the only option left.
- Cover the spots people forget. Ears, back of the neck, the strip between glove and sleeve, the lips, and under the chin where light reflects up.
- Sunscreen only works if it is reapplied. SPF 15 or higher, broad spectrum, about an ounce, 15 minutes before you go out — then every two hours, cloudy days included, and after sweating.
- Eyes count. UV-rated safety glasses or a tinted lens that meets your eye protection requirement, not a bare set of clears in the flat glare of a concrete deck.
- Anything on your skin that changes — size, shape, color, or a sore that does not heal — is a question for a health care provider, not for the tailgate.
Do / Don't
Do
- Move what you can out of the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. window
- Wear the long-sleeve shirt and a brim that shades ears and neck
- Keep sunscreen where the water is, so reapplying is automatic
- Set up shade for breaks — it doubles as the heat control
Don't
- Skip protection because it is overcast — UV still gets through
- Count on one morning application to last the shift
- Work bare-armed on reflective surfaces: water, metal, snow, fresh concrete
- Treat a burn as a badge — it is the exposure you already took
Quick site check
- What is today's UV Index, and when does this crew have the most exposure?
- Is there usable shade for breaks within a short walk, or only vehicles?
- Is sunscreen on site, in date, and near the water cooler?
- Hats, sleeves and eye protection: does everyone have what they need today?
- Any surface here throwing light back up at the crew?
- What time of day are we most exposed on this job, and can any of that work move earlier or later?
- Is there shade on this site that a crew could actually use — or does everyone eat lunch in a truck?
- Who here works in a t-shirt because the long-sleeve shirt we are issued is too hot? What would work better?
- What surfaces on this site throw light back up at us — concrete, water, sheet metal, snow?
- Do we have sunscreen on site, and when did anyone last reapply?