Skin safety equipment, Perth, WA

That suntanned body might look good but sunscreen, a wide-brim hat and a shirt should be standard safety equipment in Perth, WA

Workplace safety is fortunately something most employers and workers no longer take for granted but there are still areas where the implementation of safety equipment in Perth, WA, falls a little short, and it’s most evident in summer.

Perth has an average temperature of close to 30 degrees Celsius for every day of summer and the mercury regularly soars above 40 degrees, particularly during January and February. Outdoors workers find those temperatures pretty tough and the temptation is huge to shed the shirt and to wear the bare minimum of clothing in a bid to keep cool.

But while stripping off might lower your body temperature, it also endangers your life. Cancer Council statistics reveal that in Western Australia alone, doctors treat about 80,000 cases of skin cancer every year. In 2012, there were 696 diagnosed cases of melanoma in men and 453 in women and more than 200 Western Australians died from skin cancer that year. Those figures are dreadful, particularly because skin cancer is largely a preventable cancer.

While employers and workers are busy worrying about the threats from vehicles, heights, construction equipment and machinery, many are still overlooking that one of the most dangerous threats of all is right over their heads and with them every day. It’s a great irony that we need sunlight for life but too much can kill us.

When it comes to safety equipment, Perth and WA workers need to ensure their kit includes an SPF50 sunscreen, appropriate hat and, if possible, long-sleeve shirt, particularly in summer. Yes, that suntan on the toned body of young construction workers might look good, but that body won’t look so flash in the end stages of melanoma. There’s no good way to die, but melanoma is particularly unpleasant.

Hersey’s Safety has a wide range of safety equipment Perth, WA workers and bosses can use to keep safe and out of the sun, including our wide-brim hats, Jacuru hats, ventilated hard hats and cool cotton hats. We also have workwear that can not only withstand the rigours of the job, it’ll also keep the sun off while ensuring workers stay cool.

As Australia heads into another baking summer, make sure you don’t become one of the 1150 West Australians diagnosed with melanoma each year. Keep yourself safe with the safety equipment Western Australia workers have been using for years from Hersey’s Safety. Contact us for information about our wide range of safety equipment.