UV Exposure & Outdoor Solar Radiation SWMS
Outdoor UV exposure controls for construction, landscaping, agriculture, and utility workers — shade engineering, sun-protective clothing, SPF 50+ sunscreen programme, UVI monitoring.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Outdoor workers in construction, landscaping, agriculture, and utility sectors accumulate solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation doses that routinely exceed five to ten times the recommended occupational limit set by ARPANSA Radiation Protection Series C-1. Solar UV is a confirmed Group 1 human carcinogen, and Australia records the highest melanoma incidence globally, with construction and outdoor trades disproportionately represented in occupational skin cancer claims. Under WHS Regulation 2025 and the Safe Work Australia Guide on Exposure to Solar Ultraviolet Radiation, a PCBU has a positive duty to identify UV as a workplace hazard and implement a documented risk control programme. This SWMS captures the engineering shade requirements, scheduled UV Index (UVI) monitoring thresholds, sun-protective clothing specifications, and the SPF 50+ sunscreen reapplication regime required to discharge that duty. It is mandatory wherever workers spend 30 minutes or more outdoors during peak UVI periods, including overcast days where ground reflection and cloud-edge effects can elevate UV exposure above clear-sky baselines.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Long-latency squamous and basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and accelerated photoageing — compensable occupational disease
Painful corneal photokeratitis within 6–12 hours, chronic conjunctival degeneration, cataract acceleration
Heat exhaustion or exertional heatstroke with collapse, organ damage, and potential fatality on remote sites
Unrecognised severe sunburn on shaded skin areas including under-chin and lower face
False sense of protection leading to second-degree sunburn and DNA damage to basal keratinocytes
Phototoxic blistering at sub-burn UV doses, chemical-induced photodermatitis requiring medical treatment
Significant unprotected exposure during winter and shoulder seasons contributing to lifetime cumulative dose
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Reschedule high-exposure tasks (roofing, formwork stripping, trenching) to before 10am or after 3pm during UVI 8+ months (October–March).
- 2Elimination — Eliminate unnecessary outdoor task duration through prefabrication offsite, indoor staging areas, and just-in-time delivery to reduce cumulative dose.
- 3Substitution — Substitute outdoor manual tasks with mechanised plant featuring ROPS/FOPS cabs with UV-filtering laminated glazing rated to AS/NZS 1067.1 category 3.
- 4Engineering — Erect fixed and mobile shade structures over fixed work positions using fabric rated UPF 50+ per AS/NZS 4399, positioned to block direct and reflected UV.
- 5Engineering — Install UV-filtering window film on plant cabs and site office glazing, and provide shaded crib rooms within 50 metres of active work fronts.
- 6Administrative — Monitor live UVI via ARPANSA real-time feed or calibrated site UV meter; trigger mandatory full sun-protection regime at UVI 3 and rotation breaks at UVI 8+.
- 7Administrative — Schedule a documented SunSmart toolbox briefing each shift covering UVI forecast, reapplication intervals, and recognition of early erythema.
- 8PPE — Issue long-sleeved collared shirts and long trousers rated UPF 50+ per AS/NZS 4399, plus broad-brim or legionnaire hard-hat attachments providing 7cm minimum brim.
- 9PPE — Provide close-fitting wraparound safety eyewear rated to AS/NZS 1067.1 and 1337.1 with UV400 filtration for all outdoor tasks regardless of glare.
- 10PPE — Supply broad-spectrum SPF 50+ water-resistant sunscreen meeting AS/NZS 2604, applied 20 minutes pre-shift and reapplied every two hours or after sweating/washing.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Sets the occupational UV effective irradiance limit of 30 J/m² per eight-hour day, defining the exposure ceiling this SWMS controls against.
Codifies the PCBU duty under WHS Act s19 to identify UV as a hazard and apply the hierarchy of controls for outdoor work.
Specifies the UPF testing and labelling regime that fabric used for site uniforms and shade structures must meet to claim UPF 50+ protection.
Defines the lens category 2–4 transmittance requirements satisfying the eye protection control for ocular UV and pterygium prevention.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Solar UV is not a Schedule 1 HRCW trigger; however, the PCBU retains the primary duty under WHS Act s19 to consult workers, document controls, and retain exposure records — penalties remain substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule.
Who this is for
- →Construction site managers running outdoor civil and building works
- →Landscaping and grounds maintenance crew supervisors
- →Agricultural enterprise managers overseeing field and orchard workers
- →Electricity, water, and telecommunications utility field crews
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
On a regional water main replacement project in late November, the site supervisor opens this SWMS at the 6:30am pre-start brief. The Bureau of Meteorology forecast shows UVI peaking at 12 (extreme) by 11:30am. The supervisor walks the three-person excavation crew through the hazard register, highlighting reflected UV from the freshly cut concrete trench walls and the photosensitising warning on the herbicide used the previous day for vegetation clearance. Using the control hierarchy, they reschedule the pipe-jointing task — originally planned for midday — to commence at 7am, with the bulk of work completed before the UVI 8 threshold. A portable shade structure rated UPF 50+ is erected over the trench access point. Each worker signs the SWMS sign-on register confirming they are wearing long-sleeved UPF 50+ shirts, broad-brim hard hat attachments, and AS/NZS 1067.1 wraparound eyewear, and that SPF 50+ sunscreen has been applied. The supervisor sets a phone alarm for 9am, 11am, and 1pm sunscreen reapplication. At 10:45am the site UV meter reads UVI 9; the supervisor invokes the SWMS rotation control, moving two workers into the shaded crib trailer for a 20-minute break and noting the adjustment on the SWMS daily review sheet.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Code of Practice — Hazardous Manual Tasks