It takes as little as 15 minutes to burn in the Australian sun on a fine summer’s day so it is important to do what it takes to reduce your risk of developing skin cancer.
Skin cancer is a serious condition and you should always be mindful of what to look for. Early detection of abnormal changes in your skin can mean more effective treatment and a higher chance of stopping the cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body.
Skin cancer is caused by over exposure to UV radiation, which causes the cells to mutate in an uncontrolled fashion, generally in the epidermal layer of the skin.
UV Index levels reach their peak between 10am and 3pm each day and can be very high even on overcast or cloudy days, when we least expect to get burnt and this is when we need to be more vigilent.
"The sun’s UV radiation rays are particularly strong in the Pilbara, so by working and living in this region, it’s very important we all take necessary precautions to avoid over exposure of UV. Australians have the highest number of occurrences of skin cancer in the world, with almost one in every two Australians expected to get a skin cancer in their life time," said Pilbara Iron health and safety advisor Joel Mowday.
Usually starts in the outer layer of skin in an existing freckle or mole or in a new spot on a normal patch of skin. It tends to spread within the outer layer of the skin before moving into deeper layers.
The most common type of skin cancer in Australia. Although it is the least dangerous type of cancer, it can form an ulcerated centre if left untreated. Signs to look for are a small, slow-growing lump or reddish scaly area of skin, often occurring on areas of the body that are most exposed to the sun like the ears, nose, face and neck.
The least common type of skin cancer, making up around 15-25% of all skin cancers in Australia. They are more dangerous than BCCs because they can spread to other parts of the body and for this reason, they should be removed.
Skin cancers should not be left unchecked. Talk to your site health and safety advisor for more information on mole scans on your site.
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