TV host and SafetyCulture ambassador Scott Cam has urged outdoor workers to prioritise sun protection with new data revealing nearly half of Aussies who work outdoors have been sunburnt at work in the past 12 months.

The survey of more than 1,000 Aussie outdoor workers, which included the likes of tradies, landscapers and road workers, revealed that almost all (93%) are concerned about the long-term effects of working in the sun.

“Working outside can be a tough gig. You’re constantly juggling a range of situations and different environments, so it’s easy for something like sunscreen to fall to the bottom of the priority list. At the same time, it’s just something you’ve got to do every day, or it will catch up with you in the long run,” Scott says.

“The Aussie sun has a sting to it pretty much all year round, so if you haven’t got a tube in the toolbox or a big sunscreen pump on-site, then now’s the perfect reminder to go out and grab one.”

The survey revealed that almost one in five tradies don’t believe their employer is proactive in providing access to proper PPE for working outdoors, with nearly 30% saying their employers don’t offer any form of sun protection gear. But, overall, the majority of outdoor workers (64%) say they simply forget to use sun protection at work.

SafetyCulture is encouraging outdoor workers and their employers to act and make positive improvements following evidence that two-thirds of Australians will develop skin cancer before 70, with outdoor workers among those at greatest risk.