melanoma awareness month

UV-U-SEE, a highly visible skin-protection initiative setting a new standard in health and safety on construction sites.

This Melanoma Awareness Month, advertising agency Pablo London is launching its bold new UV-U-SEE initiative. Considerate Constructors Scheme, LifeJacket Skin Protection, Leo workwear and The National Federation of Builders all stand with Pablo, as they seek to change the way the construction industry sees skin protection, calling for a critical new standard in health and safety that will help save lives.

Construction workers in the UK make up 8% of the nation’s workforce, but account for 44% of occupational skin cancer diagnosis. This means you’re up to nine times more likely to get occupational melanoma as a construction worker compared to non construction workers. The UV-U-SEE holistic skin protection system, is designed to inform, alert and nudge those busy working on-site into a new behaviour of protection and vigilance.

This behaviour change starts with ‘The Higher-Vis Vest’. Pablo has pioneered an integrated UV-U-SEE silicon logo that’s filled with a long-lasting UV sensitive material. As the sun’s UV level intensifies, the logo changes from white to pink to red, alerting the wearer and fellow workers to take precautions. Alongside the vests sits UV-U-SEE sun cream from LifeJacket Skin Protection. A waterproof, non greasy product that makes it easy to apply on site.

Deliberately bold and visible, this project makes invisible killers seen, reminding on-site workers that they deserve and need protection. It also reminds an industry that prides itself on health and safety, that there’s one measure that still desperately needs addressing. Which is why Considerate Constructors, which sets the industry benchmark for on-site health and safety, is making the provision and education for skin protection, part of its Code of Conduct. This vital measure will mean that when construction workers are at work, they’re safeguarded from every danger on-site.

The UV-U-SEE initiative is a creatively-driven response to a personal experience. Hannah Penn, Joint MD of advertising agency Pablo London, was diagnosed with melanoma shortly after the birth of her second child. After making a full recovery, Hannah wanted to leverage the agency’s creativity to alert people to the dangers of sun exposure. Every partner, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in this project, is determined to do exactly that.

What can you do?

Below are some statistics on melanoma and the construction industry

To find out more about the UV-U-SEE initiative, watch the video below.