Ultraviolet radiation has long been the occupational health risk that sits in plain sight yet rarely features in formal safety management. The HSA’s Sun Exposure Campaign, launched on 6 May 2026, combines national awareness activity with a targeted inspection programme running through September. For employers in construction, agriculture, utilities, transport and quarrying, the message is clear: UV is a manageable hazard, the controls are simple, and the legal duty to implement them already exists.

The campaign is timely. Outdoor workers are exposed to two to three times more UV radiation than indoor counterparts, and skin cancer, with over 11,000 new cases diagnosed in Ireland each year, is the country’s most common cancer. The EU-OSHA Workers’ Exposure Survey, published in December 2025, identified UV radiation as the most frequent carcinogen exposure across six surveyed member states including Ireland. Three actions define the employer response: embed UV in risk assessments, implement practical controls, and inform workers.

HSA Assistant Chief Executive Dr Adrienne Duff confirmed that inspectors will assess whether employers have included UV in risk assessments, reduced exposure during peak UV times, and provided appropriate information and protective measures. Inspectors are looking for evidence of active management. The UV Index of 3 or above, reached routinely in Ireland between April and September, particularly between 11am and 3pm, is the trigger for protective action.

Maria McEnery of the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme noted skin cancer risk increases with cumulative exposure, making outdoor workers vulnerable to harm that builds across a working career. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires employers to manage UV as a workplace hazard, and that obligation applies on overcast days as well as in direct sunlight. Cloud cover does not eliminate UV radiation at levels that damage skin and eyes above the Index threshold.

The sectors covered represent a large share of Ireland’s outdoor workforce. Construction, agriculture, quarrying, utilities and transport involve extended periods outdoors during the months when UV levels are highest. EU-OSHA’s December 2025 data shows UV radiation is the highest-prevalence occupational carcinogen exposure across Europe, outranking diesel emissions and industrial dusts, affecting hundreds of thousands of Irish workers every working day from spring through autumn.

Four practical measures give employers an actionable response. First, add UV to the risk assessment with documented controls, using HSA sun protection guidance and the UV Index as the monitoring tool. Second, schedule outdoor tasks to avoid peak UV hours where feasible. Third, provide shade, water, covering clothing and SPF 30-plus sunscreen as standard provisions. Fourth, brief all outdoor workers on the SunSmart framework so protective behaviour becomes habitual rather than reactive.

The 2026 Sun Exposure Campaign gives Irish employers a practical entry point into managing a risk that is prevalent and preventable. The controls are low cost, the guidance comprehensive, and the HSA–HSE partnership ensures both occupational safety and public health are addressed. Employers who embed UV management into their safety systems this summer are making a lasting investment in the health of their outdoor workforce.

(The views expressed by the writer are his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of BusinessRiver.)