Natural Optical Radiation: Risk Description

Developed in the frame of
"Targeted Plan for prevention of the Risk arising from Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure of Outdoor Workers"
promoted by the Tuscany Region

The most authoritative international and national organisations (ICNIRP, ILO, WHO, Istituto Superiore di Sanità) in charge of health and safety protection as well as many international epidemiological studies agree in considering the solar ultraviolet radiation an occupational risk for all the outdoor workers listed - as a rough guide - in Tables 1 and 2. This risk shall be assessed and prevented in the same way as all other risks (such as chemical, physical, biological risks) present in the working environment. In particular, several photoinduced pathologies, whose target organs are skin and eyes, have been defined and characterized for these workers since a lot of time. Without any doubt, skin cancer is the most frequent of them.

Tab. 1a List of the activities that can involve a high risk of exposure to solar UV radiation

Agricultural and forestry work activities	Flower growing - Gardening	Pool attendants	Outdoor sport instructors
Road, railway and ship building and construction	Work activities in open-cast quarries and mines	Fishery and working activities on boats, moorings, dock working activities	Personnel involved in research and storage activities of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in ground, sea and in the oil platforms

Tab. 1a List of the activities that can involve a risk of exposure to solar UV radiation

Parking attendants	Garbage collectors	Outdoor or square working personnel	Outdoor electric and hydraulic line maintenance
Refuelling: road and airport	Postman/ shipment delivery	Local police /Security forces / Army	Pool maintenance