Posted By Merlin As the summer is slowly coming up on us could you throw some (sun) light on the best way for our company to supervise, control or enforce correct action for employee and contractors working on our sites throughout these worm/hot periods I am looking for anything such as documented information, best practice, and legal requirements which will help to enforce a dress code policy without being an old faddy that will not let others have a suntan. As you are aware subcontractors on a building site can be hard to control so any help would be much appreciated

Posted By Chris Packham The HSE guidance is alright, so far as it goes. However, I would take issue with some of the statements. In the first place, for most people a sun protection factor of 15 is simply not high enough on a bright summer day in the U.K. It should be 25 or above. Indeed, our skin measurement equipment shows that for people with light skin a factor of 30 or above is often needed. Secondly, be aware that the SPF only relates to UVB. It does not relate to UVA for which a different (start) rating applies. UVA is the one which causes premature skin ageing but has also been shown to increase the risk of skin cancer. When selecting a sun screen, go for one which relies on physical protection, i.e. contains a high level of titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide. The chemical ones can, in rare cases, lead to photosensitisation. The physical ones also work better across the UV spectrum. Remember that sun screens only prolong the time you can stay in the sun by the factor. Reapplying once your time is up is senseless. The only remedy then is to get out of the sun. Also, choose clothing with care. Some does not protect. For example a white, synthetic T-shirt can actually increase the damage from UV. Chris