Hats
Hats offer the best method of minimizing ultraviolet radiation (UV) to the face, head, ears, and neck. Different styles of hats provide varying levels of sun protection, but any hat is better than no hat.
A hat with a wide brim that goes all the way around offers the best protection for the face, nose, head, ears, and neck. The hat’s brim should be at least 3 to 4 inches wide. A wide-brimmed hat provides approximately 50 percent protection from direct UV exposure.
A flappy-jack or legionnaire cap provides good protection for the ears and neck but leaves areas of the face exposed to the sun.
Baseball hats offer some protection for the face but do not protect the sensitive skin on the ears, cheeks and neck.
Visors do not protect ears, cheeks, neck or head but any hat is better than no hat.
To promote hats:
- Encourage or even require employees to wear wide-brimmed, sun safe hats when they work outdoors.
- Provide sun safe hard hat covers or flaps for outdoor workers required to wear hard hats.
- Adopt a company uniform policy or dress code that requires hats.
- Provide hats with the company logo.
- Provide an annual allowance to outdoor workers for the purchase of a sun safe hat or hard-hat cover.
- Offer awards each month for the group with the most employees wearing hats everyday.
