Association of Occupational Sun Safety Policy and Actions in State Transportation Sector in the United States

Overview

Journal Am J Ind Med

Specialty Occupational Medicine

Date 2021 Jan 4

PMID 33393708

Authors

David B Buller

Barbara J Walkosz

Savanna Olivas

Rachel Eye

Xia Liu

Alishia Kinsey

Mary Klein Buller

Andrew Grayson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Occupational sun protection is recommended by government health authorities. Sun safety policies and predictors of managers' reports of sun safety actions were assessed.

Methods: Written policies from 21 state departments of transportation (DOTs) enrolled in a randomized trial to test methods for scaling-up an occupational sun safety intervention were coded for sun safety content at baseline. Managers (n = 1113) supervising outdoor workers reported on sun safety actions in a baseline survey.

Results: Twenty state DOTs (95.2%) have a policy with at least one sun protection component. Sun safety training was increased at workplaces with a written sun safety policy (p < 0.001) and unwritten standard procedures on sun protection (p < 0.001). Reported sun safety actions were highest where there was a written sun safety policy (p < 0.001) and unwritten standard procedures on sun protection (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Policies are essential for the implementation of employee sun safety. There is room for improvement in existing policies of state DOTs.

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