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Senior managers’ awareness of sun protection policy predicts implementation of worksite sun safety in a randomized trial
Author(s) -
Walkosz Barbara J.,
Buller David B.,
Buller Mary Klein,
Wallis Allan,
Liu Xia
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.23033
Subject(s) - sun protection , medicine , randomized controlled trial , occupational safety and health , personal protective equipment , environmental health , sun exposure , skin cancer , public relations , surgery , cancer , disease , pathology , covid-19 , dermatology , political science , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Abstract Background Outdoor workers experience chronic exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation (UV) elevating their risk for skin cancer. Methods A controlled randomized trial promoted the adoption of workplace sun safety policy and employee education at 98 public organizations in Colorado. A 2‐year follow‐up study with 68 organizations assessed the association of senior manager awareness of sun safety policies and implementation of sun safety actions. Results Senior managers’ awareness of existing sun safety policies, but not their personal sun protection behaviors, predicted implementation of sun safety actions including the number of sun protection messages and sun protection items in the workplace and increased communication about sun safety to employees. Conclusions Organizational adoption of sun safety policy must include efforts to broadly inform a workplace's senior management to ensure the policies are actually implemented and provide support for sun protection behaviors by outdoor workers to reduce UV exposure and skin cancer risk.