CWU "Sun Smart-Skin Safe" Campaign

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Letter to Branches




No. 254/14
Ref E4/14
Date: 17 April 2014



To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

CWU "Sun Smart-Skin Safe" Campaign - Look after your skin and stay safe in the sun! The Karen Clifford Story - Skin Cancer UK - Malignant Melanoma

Further LTBs 513/13, LTB 514/13, LTB 515/13, LTB 517/13, LTB 523 /13 and LTB246/14 and the CWU "Sun Smart-Skin Safe" we are once again approaching the summer months and the Health, Safety & Environment Department is taking the early opportunity to warn members about the risk of Skin Cancer and some important advice regarding firstly following the 5 S's and secondly the message "early detection saves lives so act quickly and seek advice".

The FIVE S's of Sun Safety

The main cause of skin cancer is exposure to sunlight or sunbeds.  Remember, it is not just sunbathing that puts people at risk, but just being in the sun without adequate protection.  If you take part in outdoor hobbies or sport such as golf, cricket, bowls, fishing or gardening, or you have an outdoor job you will be at greater risk.

To keep safe and make sure you NEVER BURN you should follow the 5 S's of Sun Safety:-

1. SUNSCREEN Apply a good quality SPF 30+ sunscreen, with broad spectrum UVA protection - a minimum of 3* rating, making sure you use enough and reapply every 2 hours.

2. SUNHAT Always wear a broad-brimmed hat that shades your face, neck and ears.

3. SUNGLASSES Wear wrap-around sunglasses with UV protection to give your eyes adequate protection from the sun's rays.

4. SHOULDERS Wear clothing that is UV protective if possible and always try and keep your shoulders covered up.

5. SHADE Always seek shade, particularly during the hottest time of the day between 11am-3pm.

Early Detection

Detecting skin cancers early save lives - FACT! Particularly in the case of Melanoma, the
deadliest form of the disease. It is important to check your skin regularly for signs of change, and consult your doctor immediately if you detect any changes particularly with moles, or are unsure of any unusual marks, patches, sores or spots, no matter how small they are.

Look after your skin, stay safe in the sun! - Don’t become a statistic and enjoy the sun SAFELY.

For further information about the prevention and early detection of skin cancer and to find out more about the charity Skcin, visit their Website at:- http://www.skcin.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CWU "Sun Smart - Skin Safe" Safety Code Campaign material

See attached PDF file copies of the new CWU "Sun Smart - Skin Safe" Safety Code Campaign material - the 'pocket fact card' for outdoor workers and the poster for workplaces. Example batches were distributed to Branches in 2013 and Branches are encouraged to purchase extra copies to distribute to all 'Outdoor Workers'. These can be purchased by Branches from the CWU/HQ Health Safety & Environment Department as follows:-

CWU "Sun Smart - Skin Safe" pocket fact cards - £56 per thousand plus P&P. 
CWU "Sun Smart - Skin Safe" poster - £140 per thousand plus P&P. 

The Karen Clifford Story told by her daughter Kathryn, one of the founders of the Charity 'Skcin'

The 'Skcin' (Skin Cancer) Charity, with whom the Health, Safety and Environment Department have been working, firmly believe that skin cancer requires a continuous ongoing national campaign resulting in a significantly higher profile for the disease targeting all age groups at home and abroad at work and at play.

Kathryn has allowed us to reproduce the "Karen Clifford Story". Karen Clifford died on New Year’s Eve 2005 aged 61, following a 2 year courageous battle with melanoma. After Karen's death in 2005 from Skin Cancer, her friends and family established the "Skcin" charity. It is a very sobering story.

Karen Clifford died on New Year’s Eve 2005 aged 61, following a 2 year courageous battle with melanoma. Wife of almost 40 years, 3 children, 7 grandchildren and a truly beautiful person. Written by her daughter Kathryn, this is her story, her relationship with the sun and why the charity Skcin; (The Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity) was born.

July 2003. Karen discovered a mole that had changed considerably in size and shape and was persuaded by my sister to get it checked out by her GP, who referred her to a specialist for further investigation. Within weeks a biopsy of the mole was undertaken and to our horror was diagnosed as skin cancer, malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease.

Skin cancer? What’s skin cancer? Our family, reasonably well educated asked. We honestly knew little to nothing about the disease. Only one place to go then. Google. Not a great deal of information, but enough to realise the severity of the diagnosis.

An operation to remove the mole was undertaken in August 2003. Remove a mole, sounds simple hey? Nothing prepared me for the size of the hole that took its place. And nothing prepared Karen for how long it would take and how hard it would be to heal.

Clearly the mole must have been deep. The surgeon was hopeful that they had removed it all, but what if they hadn’t? What if it had spread? How will we know? Surely she will be scanned to see if the operation was successful? Surely she will have regular check-ups and blood tests?

Post op checks were undertaken, about once a month. I accompanied her on one, which amazed me. No longer than 5 minutes, a quick feel of the lymph glands and a “how are you feeling Mrs. Clifford?” seemed to be enough to know whether the cancer had spread. No scans, no blood tests. Dismayed. Right. Be positive; tell yourself the cancer hasn’t spread. She will be fine, one of the lucky ones, she won’t die, she’s too good a person, she’s loved too much and she will be missed too much. Dying is just not an option! Positivity is key, right?

May 2004. Karen started to feel unwell and following a routine blood test at her GP for her rheumatoid arthritis, Karen was alerted that her blood levels were not as they should be, to stop all medication immediately and was sent for an urgent liver scan.

I remember the wait in the hospital with my mum and dad, trying to think positive, but fearing the worst. What if the cancer had spread? What if there was nothing that could be done for her? What if she was going to die? How would she deal with such news? How would my dad deal with such news? How would I deal with such news? How would we tell my sister and brother?.... We waited and waited for what seemed like an age, and then eventually we were called through.

We stood in small room, adjacent to the waiting area. There was a scan attached to the light box on the wall. I daren’t look at it. The doctor sat us down; “I’m afraid the cancer has spread to various parts of your liver Mrs. Clifford, and your spleen. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do for you, you have only months to live”. That’s all I remember before I ran out the room, manically trying to find somewhere to break down. A MacMillan nurse followed me, the waiting room was full, the toilets were busy, and there was nowhere to go, to scream, to cry, to talk, just back to the room where our worst nightmare began.

Leaving the hospital, I held my mum’s hand in silence. The corridors seemed endless, the drive home in rush hour traffic cruel. We arrived at my sisters, where the rest of our family were waiting to hear the outcome. Pain, sorrow, disbelief and deep, deep sadness engulfed us all.

Our relationship with Google grew. The news that there was no treatment and certainly no cure was just unacceptable. We have to find a way to save her; there must be an answer somewhere. No matter how far we need to go, or how much it costs, we have to save her!

With no answers and no hope medically in the UK, my mum and dad moved to Spain for several months where Karen undertook a series of alternative therapies with her naturopath who had been treating her previously for her rheumatoid arthritis. To everyone’s amazement the tumours in her liver shrank considerably and we clung on to hope like never before.

July 13th 2004. Never believing that Karen would be here to celebrate her 60th birthday, our family hold tight the special memories of that day together in Marbella. She looked so well, so beautiful. Look at her photo, taken on this special day. It was hard to believe this courageous woman was fighting for her life.

December 2004. On a return flight home to spend Christmas with her family, Karen suddenly haemorrhaged. Happening again in January 2005 she was advised not travel again, the decision was made that she should rest at home with her family.  For months Karen braved the disease that slowly and cruelly began to take hold. Following her 61st Birthday in July 2005, the gradual decline that no one should ever witness a loved one go through, began. Clinging on to life Karen spent her last Christmas with her family in 2005 and sadly died on New Year's Eve with her family at her side.

Why Skcin - The Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity was born

Over the duration of Karen’s battle with melanoma, our family had learnt a lot about skin cancer and malignant melanoma. However, this information wasn't readily available and was sourced by many means. Even after her death our knowledge grew and as we gradually built up our sources and respected contacts, we were utterly dismayed to uncover the alarming facts about the disease.

Many questions needed answering.
How can the most common cancer in the UK, be the one that is least spoken of?
Why is skin cancer rising faster than any other cancer in this country?
Why is malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, the most common cancer amongst young adults aged 15-34?

If 80% of all skin cancers are caused by over-exposure to UV, how can it be killing more people in the UK than Australia?

If 80% of all skin cancers are caused by over-exposure to UV, why the hell isn’t anyone working towards PREVENTION of the disease?

If experts estimate that by 2024, MELANOMA will become the most common form of all major cancers, why on earth isn’t there an organisation or charity dedicated to working toward culture change?

Suddenly, our mission became clear. We have to fill that void. If we can significantly raise the profile of skin cancer in the UK and if we can work toward the evident culture change required through education, then we can make a difference. We can save families and loved one’s from going through the unnecessary heartbreak we have. We can turn Karen’s death into a positive mission. We can save lives.

October 2006. Skcin; The Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity was born.

Karen's Relationship with the sun

Karen enjoyed sunbathing in her younger years. A busy mum, with 3 children under 3 years of age in the early 70’s, an hour or two in the summer months, lying out in the warm sunshine was a welcome break.

Annual holidays abroad also provided a welcome break and the chance to develop a good tan. Like the majority of us, Karen felt good with a tan, fake tans were dreadful until quite recently, so a natural tan from the sun or an occasional sunbed was the only option and one believed to be good for us.

Back then, the dangers of over-exposure to the sun, were not recognised or understood like they are today, so there seemed no harm in developing a good tan with little protection from sunscreens (I seem to remember the whole family using SPF 8, certainly nothing above that).

The fact is, Karen simply enjoyed the sun like many of us still do today. It wasn’t until the 90’s when she learned of the adverse aging effects that she decided to avoid over-exposure to UV by adequately protecting her skin as advised. Unfortunately though the damage had already been done. Casual, periodic sun exposure in the Summer months and on annual breaks abroad, without sufficient protection had caused irreparable damage to Karen’s skin. Over the year’s damaged cells beneath the skin’s surface gradually mutated causing a melanoma to develop, eventually spreading to Karen’s vital organs and resulting in her untimely and unfortunate death.

7 people now die every day in the UK from melanoma, with rates rising faster than any other cancer.


Think About it!
Stay 'Sun Smart & Skin Safe' This Summer


Yours Sincerely


Dave Joyce
CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

[Cut Off King]

5. SHADE Always seek shade, particularly during the hottest time of the day between 11am-3pm.

If H&S was taken seriously then we would be going back to early starts so that we would NOT be in the sun during the hottest part of the day. And from a business point of view, customers could get their mail / packets BEFORE 9.00am when most of them are at home !

A winning combo in anybody's book.....Happy Staff + Happy customers getting their mail early = MORE PROFIT + Less sickness ( and the cost savings it would brings with it )

[Chelseablue]

Completly agree ,more satisfaction too from customers getting there packets first time round instead of trekking to a packet bursting office to get it.

[hans solo]

we should do as spanish do and have a siesta in the hottest part of the day
trouble is i think i would get pished

[beezet]

yeah seek shade why dont we deliver at night and we would get people in

[arnold cheshire]

5. SHADE Always seek shade, particularly during the hottest time of the day between 11am-3pm.

If H&S was taken seriously then we would be going back to early starts so that we would NOT be in the sun during the hottest part of the day. And from a business point of view, customers could get their mail / packets BEFORE 9.00am when most of them are at home !

A winning combo in anybody's book.....Happy Staff + Happy customers getting their mail early = MORE PROFIT + Less sickness ( and the cost savings it would brings with it )

so you could be in bed all afternoon ? with early starts fit for nothing f$$$k them

[Lincox]

Am I dreaming or is it not the responsibility of our Union to negotiate working conditions that do not put the membership at the greatest risk of exposure. Negotiate to have Uniform that provides the ultimate protection. Negotiate in order that the company provide the most sophisticated protections available on the market.
As a member who has been very fortunate in recovering from Melanoma, I am appalled that Royal Mail do not take this matter seriously, and even more appalled that the CWU are letting them get away with it.

[Cut Off King]

Am I dreaming or is it not the responsibility of our Union to negotiate working conditions that do not put the membership at the greatest risk of exposure. Negotiate to have Uniform that provides the ultimate protection. Negotiate in order that the company provide the most sophisticated protections available on the market.
As a member who has been very fortunate in recovering from Melanoma, I am appalled that Royal Mail do not take this matter seriously, and even more appalled that the CWU are letting them get away with it.

Your confusing the CWU with real unions.....

Real unions don't sip from the same cup that the management drink from.
Real unions are concerned only with their members interests ( who PAY via subs for the union worry about their members, NOT how the board are doing )
Real unions get deals that apply nationaly, NOT to local deals office by office that allow some to prosper while others have to put up with worse pay & conditions.
I could go on but I won't.....

[Lincox]

Very true.

[arnold cheshire]

Am I dreaming or is it not the responsibility of our Union to negotiate working conditions that do not put the membership at the greatest risk of exposure. Negotiate to have Uniform that provides the ultimate protection. Negotiate in order that the company provide the most sophisticated protections available on the market.
As a member who has been very fortunate in recovering from Melanoma, I am appalled that Royal Mail do not take this matter seriously, and even more appalled that the CWU are letting them get away with it.

Your confusing the CWU with real unions.....

Real unions don't sip from the same cup that the management drink from.
Real unions are concerned only with their members interests ( who PAY via subs for the union worry about their members, NOT how the board are doing )
Real unions get deals that apply nationaly, NOT to local deals office by office that allow some to prosper while others have to put up with worse pay & conditions.
I could go on but I won't.....

who has to put up with worse pay ?

[Cut Off King]

Am I dreaming or is it not the responsibility of our Union to negotiate working conditions that do not put the membership at the greatest risk of exposure. Negotiate to have Uniform that provides the ultimate protection. Negotiate in order that the company provide the most sophisticated protections available on the market.
As a member who has been very fortunate in recovering from Melanoma, I am appalled that Royal Mail do not take this matter seriously, and even more appalled that the CWU are letting them get away with it.

Your confusing the CWU with real unions.....

Real unions don't sip from the same cup that the management drink from.
Real unions are concerned only with their members interests ( who PAY via subs for the union worry about their members, NOT how the board are doing )
Real unions get deals that apply nationaly, NOT to local deals office by office that allow some to prosper while others have to put up with worse pay & conditions.
I could go on but I won't.....

who has to put up with worse pay ?

How about the FACT that in one office delivering election material they get 3p an item, BUT in another office they get 6p an item. There is a clear difference in takehome pay between two people doing identical work, and on an identical grade.
Or the delivery supplement being given to OPG's who prep & deliver D2D items, and also to OPG's who never go near D2D items.
Or the driver OPG who gets driving allowance, and other OPG's who don't, dispite doing the SAME driving duty.

[Lincox]

[arnold cheshire]

Am I dreaming or is it not the responsibility of our Union to negotiate working conditions that do not put the membership at the greatest risk of exposure. Negotiate to have Uniform that provides the ultimate protection. Negotiate in order that the company provide the most sophisticated protections available on the market.
As a member who has been very fortunate in recovering from Melanoma, I am appalled that Royal Mail do not take this matter seriously, and even more appalled that the CWU are letting them get away with it.

Your confusing the CWU with real unions.....

Real unions don't sip from the same cup that the management drink from.
Real unions are concerned only with their members interests ( who PAY via subs for the union worry about their members, NOT how the board are doing )
Real unions get deals that apply nationaly, NOT to local deals office by office that allow some to prosper while others have to put up with worse pay & conditions.
I could go on but I won't.....

who has to put up with worse pay ?

How about the FACT that in one office delivering election material they get 3p an item, BUT in another office they get 6p an item. There is a clear difference in takehome pay between two people doing identical work, and on an identical grade.
Or the delivery supplement being given to OPG's who prep & deliver D2D items, and also to OPG's who never go near D2D items.
Or the driver OPG who gets driving allowance, and other OPG's who don't, dispite doing the SAME driving duty.

im going to disagree with all of that if your driving a 400 you get driving allowance and if delivering d2d how do you get less money than someone not doing them ?

[Lincox]

Worse pay does not automatically mean you are earning less. It can also mean you are doing more work than others for the same pay.

[arnold cheshire]

Worse pay does not automatically mean you are earning less. It can also mean you are doing more work than others for the same pay.

yes we have people doing a 30 pkts a day for same has someone doing 450 houses and 20 pkts and 5 lots of d2d