Gardening and Grounds Maintenance Workers Skin Check: Protecting Your Health

Australian outdoor workers get far more sun than people who work indoors. Safe Work Australia puts it at five to ten times more. As a gardener or grounds maintenance worker, that exposure is part of the job, so the question is how well you protect your skin and how soon a problem gets picked up. A full body skin check is the second half of that.

How the Job Affects Your Skin

Mowing, edging, pruning and maintaining sports fields and parks is all-day, year-round outdoor work. A lot of it is on open ground with little shade, and it happens through the middle of the day as well as early mornings.

Inside a Gardening and Grounds Maintenance Workers Skin Check

A check is done in a private room by our trained melanographers. For gardening and grounds maintenance workers, it covers:

• Your full skin surface, not just the areas you can see
• High-definition images of moles and lesions that need monitoring
• A stored record so changes can be compared over time
• Practical advice on sun protection for your type of work

Anything that needs more than monitoring is referred to a skin cancer specialist.

Common Exposure Points for Gardening and Grounds Maintenance Workers

For gardening and grounds maintenance workers, these are the areas that tend to take the most sun:

• Ears, face and neck on ride-on mowers
• Forearms and the backs of the hands
• Back of the neck when weeding and planting
• Scalp
• Calves and knees if you work in shorts

A full body check covers all of these, plus everywhere else, from your scalp to the soles of your feet.

For Employers of Gardening and Grounds Maintenance Workers

Employers have a duty to manage the risk of UV exposure, the same as any other workplace hazard. Skin checks help catch problems early, but they work best alongside good sun protection on the job, not instead of it.

For councils, schools and grounds contractors, rotate staff between exposed and shaded tasks, schedule open-ground mowing early in the day, fit canopies to ride-on mowers where practical, and supply broad-brim hats, long sleeves and SPF 30+.

For staff skin checks, call 1800 443 972 and we will put together an arrangement that suits your business.

Are you an individual looking for Skin Check Services in the Gold Coast?

We offer a range of services for individuals at our Broadbeach clinic.

• Skin cancer screening
• Mole mapping
• Melanographer
• Skin cancer detection
• Skin health checks
• MoleMax HD technology
• Total body mapping
• Skin cancer treatment
• Skin cancer clinic
• Skin checks
• Melanoma detection
• Skin cancer prevention
• Skin screening services
• High-definition skin imaging
• Full body skin checks

Protect Yourself and workforce with Corporate Skin Checks in Broadbeach

Skin cancer is preventable and treatable if caught early. By organising corporate skin checks for your team, you’re not just ticking a box—you’re making a meaningful investment in their future.

If you’re ready to prioritise workplace health, contact us to arrange corporate skin checks in The Gold Coast. Together, we’ll help keep your team safe, healthy, and focused on what they do best.

If you would like any more information on your responsibility as an employer with workers in the sun you can read more on Sun Smart.