A survey recently completed by SC Johnson ProfessionalTM showed that only one in four outdoor workers wore sun protection cream during 2018’s summer months – despite this being one of the hottest summers on record with above average hours of sunshine.
How do you “bring occupational cancer out of the shadows and prevent it?” That was the challenge presented to more than 40 influential stakeholders, including IOSH, EU-OSHA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) at a summit in Paris on 26 April.
In considering radiation as a health hazard, two types are identified. The first includes the high-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum (such as X-rays and gamma rays) as well as particle radiation (such as the alpha and beta particles emitted by radioactive sources). Non-ionising radiation describes the middle and lower energy regions of the spectrum. In the mid-range, optical radiation includes ultraviolet (UV), visible and infrared, and in the lower range electromagnetic fields (EMFs) include those arising from power cables, microwaves and radio sources.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the safety regulator for the civil nuclear industry in the UK, said it has notified Sellafield of its intention to prosecute under s 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The announcement comes after the ONR investigated an incident on 5 February 2017 that resulted in the “personal contamination to a Sellafield employee”.