Sun safety is essential, and as we approach the summer months its even more relevant.
With the weather heating up and the sun shining brighter in the sky, we’re all starting to look forward to getting outside and playing amongst the rays.
However, both adults and children must take proper precautions when it comes to ensuring they stay sun safe. And here at Hand Made Places we want to tell you how!
Why is sun safety so important?
It is recorded that a massive 35% of the British public were burnt last summer in the UK. In fact, 28% of these people were burnt more than once! These statistics are extremely worrying.
Sun burn is one of the key risk factors when it comes to the contraction of melanoma skin cancer.
Melanoma is the fifth most common form of cancer in the UK, with over 15,000 cases being diagnosed each year. Shockingly, around 86% of these cases could have been prevented if the correct sun safety procedures had been taken.
Sun safety in children.
Children have a greater risk of sun burn as their skin is more susceptible to harmful UV radiation. Therefore it is essential that we protect children from the sun.
The more times a person acquires sun burn, the greater risk it poses for them as they approach adulthood.
During days where the UV is at a high level, children must wear both a hat and sun glasses; the head and the eyes are two of the most vulnerable places when it comes to sun damage.
Too much sun on the head can cause sun or heat stroke. Heat stroke is a severe illness caused by prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures. Its most common symptoms are confusion, headaches, and vomiting. And in some extreme cases requires hospitalisation.
Children must also use a sun cream which is either factor 30 or above. However it’s strongly recommended that children use broad-spectrum factor 50 sun cream. It’s also important that children avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its most dangerous.
Therefore it’s essential that parks and schools supply a sheltered area in which children can sit during lunch and play times. Find out more about staying sun safe in school by reading our blog.
Hand Made Safety
At Hand Made Places we produce timber canopies and supply Broxap shelters. These provide shade on days where the sun will cause the most damage.
These shelters can be erected either within a school environment or at your local park. Parents must ensure that when having BBQ’s or picnics in local spaces that you seek shade during the previously mentioned dangerous hours.
It’s vital that children avoid sun burns and heat stroke whilst playing at home or at school.
It’s also essential that, when it comes to high temperatures and UV levels, children are offered shade in order to help reduce the risk of contracting potentially life threatening illnesses later in life.
For more information about fitting sun shades or shelters contact one of our trained advisers today.