Published: May 31, 2023

We Build The Future’s Sun-safe site boards are being displayed on two Kent construction sites as part of a campaign to help reduce the risk and incidence of skin cancer amongst people working in the built environment industries.

Folkestone-based regional contractor Jenner is encouraging its workers to protect themselves this summer and has displayed the Sun-safe boards on two of its most prominent construction sites at Canterbury Riverside Square and Folkstone Shoreline. As a responsible employer, Jenner recognises the importance of eliminating and managing health risks for its staff and sub-contractors working on its sites. The Sun-safe boards let people working or visiting a site know whether the UV risk requires them to take action to protect themselves.

Using a simple traffic light system to indicate daily UV risk, the Sun-safe site boards are positioned in a prominent location on site and the risk indicator checked and updated by site managers on a daily basis after checking Met office data for the location. The site boards also provide simple advice on how to reduce UV risk, and feature QR links to further advice and support through Melanoma UK.

Commenting on the Sun-safe site boards, Ella Brocklebank, Head of Communications & Business Development at Jenner said: “When we were shown the latest skin cancer statistics for construction, we were shocked at the rising melanoma figures for workers across the sector and wanted to do play our part in reducing UV risk. The health and wellbeing of our employees is of paramount importance and it is vital that all construction workers on our building sites are aware of sun protection and the dangers of skin cancer. We Build The Future’s Sun-safe campaign is a great initiative and we look forward to rolling it out across our other sites.”

Construction workers are at a heightened risk of developing skin cancer due to over exposure to UV radiation and account for 44% of occupational skin cancer diagnosis and 42% of occupational skin cancer deaths each year – that equates to21 largely avoidable deaths each year.¹ We Build The Future’s Sun-safe campaign is a preventative campaign intended to help reduce the risk and incidence of skin cancer amongst people working in the built environment industries. Its aim is to promote sun-safe practices on every building site.

Commenting, Richard Harral, founder of We Build The Future said: “With rates of skin cancer rising faster than any other cancer in the UK, these boards highlight the risk of exposure and help try and change attitudes and behaviours. The majority of skin cancers are preventable and we are encouraged to see that Jenner Contractors are rolling out our Sun-safe site boards and taking a proactive approach to managing sun safety on its sites. We look forward to other construction site owners, employers and employees taking advantage of this extremely innovative safety initiative.”

We Build The Future works to improve support and advice for people who work in the construction and built environment sector who face the challenge of dealing with cancer in their lives. Helping to fund research, which can help accelerate improvements in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer, the charity aims to promote health and wellbeing across the industry to help reduce the risk of people developing cancer in the first place.

Funds raised are shared between research and initiatives, like the site surgery, to support people in construction to access expert information and support.

For further information, or if you are interested in signing up or sponsoring our Sun-safe campaign then please get in touch at: getinvolved@webuildthefuture.org

¹ Peer reviewed research published in the British journal of Cancer (Annex A)

For further information please contact David Ing at Fabrick Agency: Construction Marketing and Construction PR Agency