Don't be blinded by the dangers of glare

While sun safety is a major concern throughout the hotter months, don’t be blinded by the danger of glare.

Glare can restrict your sight and result in poor viewing conditions. When viewing problems continue for a long period of time, glare can lead to strained eye muscles, physical fatigue and headaches.

While glare is a problem for all outdoor workers, construction workers are at particularly high risk due to the materials used in their day-to-day work.

Glare from building materials such as roof sheeting, metal formwork, metal stud framing and smooth, light-coloured concrete can obscure potentially dangerous situations, resulting in workplace incidents and injuries. The obstructed view also has the potential to cause permanent eye damage to workers.

When using cranes to lift and move loads, glare can impact on the workers’ judgment, and result in inaccurate assessment of distance. Incorrectly placed loads can become hazards and increase the likelihood of slips, trips and falls.

As workers reposition themselves to manage the discomfort caused by glare, they may be at risk of musculoskeletal injury. Workers may be carrying loads and, in an effort to avoid glare, may adopt awkward postures and forceful exertions, which can result in sprains and strains to the back and neck muscles.

Follow these tips to minimise risk to your workers.

Where possible plan construction work around the movement of the sun, e.g. focus on the western and northern side of a building in the morning and work on the eastern and southern sides in the afternoon.
Use trees, buildings and temporary shelters such as awnings or tarpaulins to shade the work and rest areas.
Try to use anti-glare building products e.g. bright galvanised items with non-reflective coating.
Provide workers with broad brim attachments (7.5 – 8 cm) for their hard hats.
Train workers in risk assessment and control techniques.
Encourage workers to wear AS1067 compliant sunglasses.

More information on sun safety is available online or phone the WHS Infoline on 1300 369 915.

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