Suitable clothing and hats
Work clothing needs to be made of lightweight, closely woven material with a UPF 50+ rating.
Clothing
When working in the sun, work clothing needs to be made of lightweight, closely woven material with a UPF 50+ rating. You should wear long pants and work shirts with a collar and long sleeves to cover as much skin as possible.
The clothing needs to balance three important workplace needs:
- sun protection
- staying cool in hot conditions, and
- safety.
It’s also very important that the clothing design doesn’t create a secondary hazard – eg loose clothing can be caught in machinery.
Hats
The most important thing is for the hat to shade your face, ears and neck from the sun.
Recommended hats are:
- broad brimmed styled hats (minimum 7.5cm brim)
- bucket style hats with a deep crown, angled brim (minimum 6cm width) and sit low on the head
- caps / legionnaire style hats with a flap that covers the neck and joins to the sides of the front peak.
If wearing a hard hat or helmet, make sure you have a brim attachment or a legionnaire cover.