People who work outside are more than twice as likely to develop skin cancer as the general population, according to mobile skin-check clinic Skin Patrol.
Statistics from 1,000 outdoor workers collected by Skin Patrol this year revealed that they had 2.5 times the national reported incidence rate of malignant melanoma.
Skin Patrol found that one in 10 outdoor workers had lesions highly suspicious of skin cancer and 70 per cent of those patients were 40 years or older.
"Skin Patrol has conducted over 40,000 workplace skin checks in the last five years," Skin Patrol national program director Skye Lovell said.
"The data shows that outdoor workers are at a highly increased risk of skin cancer. Workers need to be better educated on how to self check for skin cancer. It's never too late to start and early detection really does save lives."
More than 90 per cent of the outdoor workers who attended the Skin Patrol clinic because they were worried about a particular spot or the condition of their skin had not had their skin checked in the 12 months prior to the visit.
"I diagnose skin cancers on outdoor workers almost every day and am certain that workplace skin checks and education save lives," Skin Patrol's diagnosing dermatologist Dr Martin Haskett said.