Develop a Sun Safety Action and Evaluation Plan
Now that your workplace’s sun safety priorities have been identified in the sun safety assessment step, the action planning can begin. This is often the most exciting part, where you will develop the sun safety plan needed to create tangible programs that will result in changes in your workplace.
If you are just starting a sun safety program, it is best to consider your evaluation strategies before you implement the program. That way, you can determine when and how you will collect information to assess the changes you are making. Be Sunsible has created an employee level survey [PDF] for you to use both before and after you implement your program to measure changes in knowledge, attitudes and sun safety behaviours.
To measure change at the workplace level, repeat your sun safety assessment at different time points during your program
Consider the questions below, as they will guide you through developing your action and evaluation plan:
- What is your long-term goal?
- Are there any specific outdoor workers that you are trying to target?
- What are your objectives?
- To achieve your objectives:
- What activities will you need to do?
- What resources will be required?
- When will you achieve your objectives?
- What products will you generate?
- What changes (outcomes) do you hope to generate?
- What information do you need to gather to measure these changes?
- How will you collect this information?
- How will you analyze this information?
- How will you use this information to continuously improve your sun safety program?
Be Sunsible’s action and evaluation plan template will provide you with details and examples of how to answer these questions to generate a comprehensive sun safety program. 
Action and evaluation plan template
Sun safety best practices
It’s important to get familiar with sun safety best practices before you start action planning. Review the examples of activities below and consider how they help you to address hazards in your workplace.
- Move work activities to a shaded or indoor area.
- Erect shade structures at all locations for use during coffee and lunch breaks.
- Apply UVR film to windows of work vehicles.
- Modify reflective surfaces where possible.
- Provide water at worksites.
- Rotate workers between work sites or site locations so they are not all exposed to the sun during the period of greatest UV intensity between 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- When possible, schedule outdoor work outside of the peak midday hours of 12 noon and 2 p.m.
- Post daily UV index at jobsites, on company website, internal employee intranet site or SMS to employees.
- Conduct Hazard Assessments and Shade Audit.
- Provide PPE (i.e. wide-brimmed hat or hat with neck guard, construction helmet with brim attachment, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, sunglasses, or UVR protectant for clothes washing).
- Provide sunscreen for employees’ use at specific locations (e.g. First Aid room/site office etc.)
- Promote sun safety education throughout your organization in routine Health and Safety Training and at orientation for new and seasonal employees.
- Display sun safety and skin cancer information resources.
- Train managers and supervisors to act as positive role models.
- Provide employees with information and remind them to check their skin regularly and to consult their doctor promptly if there is any cause for concern.
- Adopt sun protection practices during all company social events.
- Promote the use of sun protection measures 'off the job'.
- Get leadership buy-in by making the case for a sun safety policy.
- Consult employees and develop a working group.
- Review the Be Sunsible sample sun safety policy to identify strategies.
- Identify the resources you will need to implement the policy.
- Develop a policy implementation and communication plan.
- Get leadership to endorse the sun safety policy.
- Evaluate the outcomes of the policy.
- Leadership: leaders are participating in sun safety activities and leading by example.
- Integrate your sun safety program: advocate to get sun safety into the business plan.
- Communicate: promote policies and sun safety initiatives to your employees.
- Employee engagement and participation: involve your employees in the planning and implementation process to empower them to participate in activities.
- Evaluation and continuous improvement: create a baseline measure so you can measure change at both the organizational and outdoor worker level and engage employees to get feedback on program activities to inform improvement.
Download Step 3 resources *Please note, this will download a zipped file size 517 KB. Continue to Step 4
Download Step 3 resources Continue to Step 4