Lawford Kidd's Blog

According to recent research, which was undertaken by Imperial College London and commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the number of people in the United Kingdom who are diagnosed with, or die from, skin cancer contracted as a result of sun exposure at work, is much higher than expected.

It is hoped said research will better educate busineses as to the risks of skin cancer for employers/workers working in outdoor roles, including those in construction, agriculture and leisure.

An industry-wide campaign to cut the number of deaths from occupational cancer has been launched by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).  

IOSH highlights that even by conservative estimates, some 8,000 people die from cancer and around 14,000 contract the disease each year in the UK because of exposure to a work-related carcinogen, such as diesel exhaust fumes, silica dust or asbestos fibres. Worldwide, occupational cancer claims the lives of more than 666,000 a year – one death every 47 seconds.

The figures far outstrip those for fatal incidents in the workplace, but the invisibility of carcinogens, the long latency of their effects and a lack of knowledge continue to produce this staggeringly high number of preventable deaths and cancer registrations.