Working on a tarmac for long periods of time? Double your SPF

Started by Holding Pattern, July 31, 2017, 07:11:38 PM

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Holding Pattern

2 days of Skyfest and I managed to get a significant amount of walking in. Ostensible temperature was 96F. I'm betting it was hotter. Hydration was emphasized with the 60+ persons we had on staff. I was applying sunblock every couple hours the first day. SPF 55 didn't seem to be enough. Also, the ground seems to have reflected quite a bit of UV, meaning I missed some spots I normally don't need to put sunblock like under my chin. Really glad I wore sunglasses.

Next time I work an airshow, SPF100, will recheck every hour.

Luis R. Ramos

Safety precautions in situations like this usually state that sun - more rightly UV rays - are reflected off light surfaces like the white runways, sand, snow, and water.

So if you are working in any of these surfaces like the OP found, do not neglect any part of your body. You will rue it!

Thanks for posting. I hope it was fun. Any ELTs?
Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

THRAWN

Quote from: Mordecai on July 31, 2017, 07:11:38 PM
2 days of Skyfest and I managed to get a significant amount of walking in. Ostensible temperature was 96F. I'm betting it was hotter. Hydration was emphasized with the 60+ persons we had on staff. I was applying sunblock every couple hours the first day. SPF 55 didn't seem to be enough. Also, the ground seems to have reflected quite a bit of UV, meaning I missed some spots I normally don't need to put sunblock like under my chin. Really glad I wore sunglasses.

Next time I work an airshow, SPF100, will recheck every hour.

How often were you rotated into areas out of the sun? Hydration was emphasized, but what guidance was issued or used? Was diet also monitored to help with hydration? Were there cooling tents available?
Strup-"Belligerent....at times...."
AFRCC SMC 10-97
NSS ISC 05-00
USAF SOS 2000
USAF ACSC 2011
US NWC 2016
USMC CSCDEP 2023

Eclipse

Anything more then SPF 30 is generally just marketing - it's essentially skin lotion at that point and you might as well just spray paint yourself.

Re-application and making sure you're fully covered is the key.

Ground reflection is a legit issue.

"That Others May Zoom"

Holding Pattern

Quote from: THRAWN on July 31, 2017, 08:20:18 PM
Quote from: Mordecai on July 31, 2017, 07:11:38 PM
2 days of Skyfest and I managed to get a significant amount of walking in. Ostensible temperature was 96F. I'm betting it was hotter. Hydration was emphasized with the 60+ persons we had on staff. I was applying sunblock every couple hours the first day. SPF 55 didn't seem to be enough. Also, the ground seems to have reflected quite a bit of UV, meaning I missed some spots I normally don't need to put sunblock like under my chin. Really glad I wore sunglasses.

Next time I work an airshow, SPF100, will recheck every hour.

How often were you rotated into areas out of the sun? Hydration was emphasized, but what guidance was issued or used? Was diet also monitored to help with hydration? Were there cooling tents available?

Lots of rotation was done. There were misting tents available as well which were a really cool feature. The C5 also provided some shade at times :D

ProdigalJim



Me. Fort Pickett, a couple of years ago. Sprayed 50 SPF sunscreen on my head compulsively. This was the result.

On the other hand, we avoided a safety crisis because I didn't wear a hat on the flight line...  ;D
Jim Mathews, Lt. Col., CAP
VAWG/XP
My Mitchell Has Four Digits...

ProdigalJim

Quote from: ProdigalJim on July 31, 2017, 10:56:40 PM


Me. Fort Pickett, a couple of years ago. Sprayed 50 SPF sunscreen on my head compulsively. This was the result.

On the other hand, we avoided a safety crisis because I didn't wear a hat on the flight line...  ;D

And now, with the image (thanks dwb and Pace!):

Jim Mathews, Lt. Col., CAP
VAWG/XP
My Mitchell Has Four Digits...

THRAWN

Strup-"Belligerent....at times...."
AFRCC SMC 10-97
NSS ISC 05-00
USAF SOS 2000
USAF ACSC 2011
US NWC 2016
USMC CSCDEP 2023

Luis R. Ramos

Squadron Safety Officer
Squadron Communication Officer
Squadron Emergency Services Officer

vorteks

Is it not it OK to wear a hat for flight line work if it's attached to shirt with a cord?

THRAWN

Quote from: vorteks on August 02, 2017, 02:01:22 PM
Is it not it OK to wear a hat for flight line work if it's attached to shirt with a cord?

I'm on a flight line every day at a major international airport. Plenty of hats around. When I go to my local airport, plenty of hats around. No dummy cords, just hats....
Strup-"Belligerent....at times...."
AFRCC SMC 10-97
NSS ISC 05-00
USAF SOS 2000
USAF ACSC 2011
US NWC 2016
USMC CSCDEP 2023

Eclipse

The primary issue with hats on CAP (or any other GA) flightlines isn't the hat, per se, it's not like they are going to get
sucked into the same Mike Roe "OSHA?...OCEAN!" issue.

CAP members generally have very low situational awareness and are operating at or mental near capacity just doing
an unfamiliar job they were rushed through training on and only do twice a year, while still being worried about their
day jobs and "why that new guy from a weird wing is standing where I >always< stand..."

In other words, there's a very high chance when their hat flies off they will turn around and run into a 160+ horsepower
salad chopper, or cause some other similar safety issue.

"That Others May Zoom"

vorteks


Eclipse

Quote from: vorteks on August 02, 2017, 02:48:49 PM
OK so what about the dummy cord solution?

For starters they don't have those on patrol caps.

"That Others May Zoom"

vorteks

Quote from: Eclipse on August 02, 2017, 02:52:27 PM
Quote from: vorteks on August 02, 2017, 02:48:49 PM
OK so what about the dummy cord solution?

For starters they don't have those on patrol caps.

They do if you clip one end of it to the patrol cap.  >:D

Mitchell 1969

Quote from: THRAWN on August 02, 2017, 02:13:16 PM
Quote from: vorteks on August 02, 2017, 02:01:22 PM
Is it not it OK to wear a hat for flight line work if it's attached to shirt with a cord?

I'm on a flight line every day at a major international airport. Plenty of hats around. When I go to my local airport, plenty of hats around. No dummy cords, just hats....

I was at a major international airport for 26 years. No restrictions on hats or caps. Never had an accident attributable to one. Never had one sucked into an engine.
_________________
Bernard J. Wilson, Major, CAP

Mitchell 1969; Earhart 1971; Eaker 1973. Cadet Flying Encampment, License, 1970. IACE New Zealand 1971; IACE Korea 1973.

CAP has been bery, bery good to me.

Mitchell 1969

Quote from: Eclipse on August 02, 2017, 02:33:11 PM
The primary issue with hats on CAP (or any other GA) flightlines isn't the hat, per se, it's not like they are going to get
sucked into the same Mike Roe "OSHA?...OCEAN!" issue.

CAP members generally have very low situational awareness and are operating at or mental near capacity just doing
an unfamiliar job they were rushed through training on and only do twice a year, while still being worried about their
day jobs and "why that new guy from a weird wing is standing where I >always< stand..."

In other words, there's a very high chance when their hat flies off they will turn around and run into a 160+ horsepower
salad chopper, or cause some other similar safety issue.

It's a phantom risk. I never heard about it at all in over 25 years of CAP activities until some safety officer somewhere came up with "What's the worst POSSIBLE, even if not likely, thing that we can come up with about caps and hats?"

Compare that outside risk to the very real risks associated with sun and heat - why does no caps seem like the best idea?
_________________
Bernard J. Wilson, Major, CAP

Mitchell 1969; Earhart 1971; Eaker 1973. Cadet Flying Encampment, License, 1970. IACE New Zealand 1971; IACE Korea 1973.

CAP has been bery, bery good to me.

Mitchell 1969

Quote from: Eclipse on August 02, 2017, 02:52:27 PM
Quote from: vorteks on August 02, 2017, 02:48:49 PM
OK so what about the dummy cord solution?

For starters they don't have those on patrol caps.

Two words.

1) Alligator. 2) Clips.
_________________
Bernard J. Wilson, Major, CAP

Mitchell 1969; Earhart 1971; Eaker 1973. Cadet Flying Encampment, License, 1970. IACE New Zealand 1971; IACE Korea 1973.

CAP has been bery, bery good to me.