GENESIS-UV exposure data for the prevention of UV-induced skin cancer

The number of cases of squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma continues to rise. In 2021, "squamous-cell carcinomas of the skin and multiple actinic keratoses of the skin caused by natural UV radiation" – the definition of formally recognized occupational disease (BK) No 5103 – constituted the fourth most common occupational disease. The German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) and its member institutions conclude from this that a great need for action still exists, particularly in the area of prevention of UV-induced skin cancer.

In 2019, the occupational health rule AMR 13.3established the framework for preventive occupational health care for outdoor work. The purpose of preventive occupational health care is to provide information on the risks posed by exposure to natural UV radiation, and to indicate protective measures for the affected workers. AMR 13.3 also contains an updated definition of the term "outdoor worker" for persons who are exposed to intense solar UV radiation when carrying out their work. For outdoor work, the following criteria must be met in accordance with AMR 13.3, Section 4.2 (1):

• Period from April to September
• 10 am to 3 pm CET (corresponding to 11 am to 4 pm CEST)
• A total of at least one hour per working day
• At least 50 working days

Which occupational groups and tasks actually satisfy these criteria? This question can be answered by consultation of the detailed exposure data obtained from the GENESIS-UV measurement campaigns:

During preparation of a publication, the GENESIS-UV measurement data was analysed to determine which occupational groups are particularly affected, with reference to the above mentioned criteria. The result: the criteria were exceeded in 87% of the 176 occupations studied in total. This shows the need for preventive occupational medical care in this area. Put simply, this affects all workers who regularly spend over 22% of their working hours outdoors, i.e. whose annual UV exposure exceeds 150 Standard Erythema Doses (SEDs).

Evaluation data is summarized in Supplementary Table 1 that lists the occupations in descending order according to the proportion of workers meeting the criteria set out in AMR 13.3 for preventive occupational health care (criteria quota), as well as in alphabetical order of occupations. In the table, the "quota" column indicates the proportion of workers per occupation/sub-occupation who satisfy the criteria to be met for preventive occupational health care, while the YD (Yearly Dose) column contains the respective annual exposure (in SEDs) according to the GENESIS-UV measurements.

According to the evaluation there can be estimated an overall number of workers affected in Germany of approximately 7.2 million.

Back to the overview page, "GENESIS-UV in occupational practice"