Mower man warns outdoor workers to cover up in the sun

John Henderson worked as a lawn-mowing contractor, driving around west Auckland tending to the lawns and gardens of countless clients.
 

The job was flexible; kept him fit and allowed him to enjoy the outdoors, but like many outdoor workers John didn’t realise that during summer he was being exposed to an invisible workplace hazard – harmful UV radiation.

Three years ago John was diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Exposure to UV radiation is the leading cause of skin cancer in New Zealand and outdoor workers who spend prolonged periods in the summer sun are at increased risk.

The Cancer Society is providing information to New Zealand’s outdoor workers and their employers to make them more aware of the dangers of excessive sun exposure. The kit of resources will be launched today, by the Minister of Labour, Hon Kate Wilkinson.

Employers are being reminded of their obligations under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 to protect their workers from workplace health hazards. Workers are being urged to wear appropriate sun protection and cooperate with workplace measures to minimise harm.

Unfortunately the advice will come a little too late for John Henderson. He was unaware of the dangers until his cancer diagnosis three years ago.

“I had a tiny mole on my arm and it was a bit annoying because it used to catch on the car window when I rested my arm there while driving.”

John had the mole removed on the advice of his doctor who wasn’t too concerned about it. “When the lab test came back, he rang and asked my wife and I to come in.”

The unremarkable little spot turned out to be a relatively deep melanoma – a grade four. He had surgery to cut out a large chunk of tissue and had lymph nodes removed from under his arm.

John thought he’d beaten his cancer but recently a lump appeared in the scar tissue and he had to face the distressing news it had returned.

After weeks of radiotherapy and ongoing treatment with a specially developed cancer vaccine, John is optimistic.

“I’m just taking each day as it comes, doing what the doctor ordered and looking after myself.”

While John accepts he has no control over the future he does have regrets about the past. He says when he was out working in the burning Auckland sun he didn’t really give a thought to the danger he was subjecting himself to.

“Every day I just wore shorts and a short sleeved shirt. I’d put sunscreen on but it used to sweat off and I never reapplied it.”

Now John works in an office selling lawn-mowing franchises and never lets purchasers leave without warning them about taking care of themselves in the sun.
“I tell them to cover up, to wear a hat and long-sleeved shirt. You’ve just got to.”

The Cancer Society has developed a kit of resources for outdoor workers, including a poster, brochure and employers' guide. It is calling on workplaces to provide shade, rotate shifts and provide sun safety gear to protect workers. Workers are urged to don wide brimmed hats, wear long-sleeved tops, seek shade whenever possible, especially during breaks and use broad spectrum SPF30+ sunscreen and sunglasses.
Cancer Society Skin Cancer Control Advisor, Dr Judith Galtry, says it's about creating a workplace culture where
sun safety behaviour is standard practice and employers lead by example.
Free copies of the Cancer Society’s kit Sun Protection and Outdoor Work are available from the local cancer
society office.