Safety Corner - 6/22

Avoid Excess Sun

While the right balance of sunlight can have health and mood-lifting benefits, excess exposure can be harmful to your skin is and a risk for skin cancer.
It is especially wise to avoid exposure to the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are most intense (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time) or when the Ultraviolent (UV) Index is 3 or higher in your area.
While outside, you can reduce your risk of sun damage by staying in the shade of a tree, umbrella, overhang, or other shelter that blocks direct sunlight.

Wear Sunscreen

Sunscreen is recommended to lower your risk for sunburn, skin cancer and early skin aging.
The FDA recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, even on cloudy days.
Sunscreen should be applied liberally to all uncovered skin, especially your nose, ears, neck, hands, feet, and lips.
If swimming or sweating, sunscreen should be reapplied according to the water resistance claims posted on the label.
Sunscreen should be reapplied no more than two hours after previous application.

Wear Protective Clothing

Clothing can provide protection from UV rays and when possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and skirts while in the sun.
Darker colors absorb more UV rays than lighter colors like whites and pastels, thus allowing less UV rays to reach your skin.
Tightly woven fabrics, such as canvas, work best to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.
Wide brim hats offer the most protection for your face, ears and the back of your neck and darker hats provide more UV protection.

Use Eye Protection

Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays, thus reducing the risk of cataracts.
Sunglasses also protect the tender skin around your eyes from exposure to the sun.
Most sunglasses in the United States, regardless of cost, block both UVA and UVB rays, which is the desired level of protection and wrap-around sunglasses further block UV rays from sneaking in from the side.

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