Preventing Skin Cancer: Education and Policy Approaches in Outdoor Occupation Settings

Task Force Finding*

In 1991, more than 8% of the U.S. workforce primarily worked outdoors, making outdoor workers a crucial audience for sun protection programs. Occupational groups that work outdoors have been found to have high rates of nonmelanoma skin cancer, and outdoor workers may receive up to 6–8 times the dose of UV radiation that indoor workers receive. They have also been found to have low levels of sun protection.

The Task Force found insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of interventions in occupational settings in increasing the sun-protective behaviors of covering up or seeking shade, or in decreasing the incidence of sunburn and UV exposure, because the limited number of available reports showed inconsistent findings.

*From the following publication:

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to prevent skin cancer by reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation. [PDF - 70KB] Am J Prev Med 2004;27(5):467-70.

Review completed: July 2002