Overview

Many people handle groceries from the time they are shipped to the store to the time they reach the check-out. Grocery store workers and customers want to sanitize products to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 (coronavirus). In response, some retailers are sanitizing items at checkout using short-wave ultraviolet radiation (UV-C).

Types of radiation

The sun produces three types of radiation:

  • UV-A is the longest wavelength
  • UV-B is the second longest wavelength
  • UV-C is the shortest wavelength, also known as short-wave radiation

The Earth’s atmosphere absorbs UV-C radiation. Naturally occurring UV-C doesn’t cause sunburns because it doesn’t reach the Earth’s surface. There is a misconception that UV-C is safer because it doesn’t cause sunburns, while UV-A and UV-B do cause sunburns.

Hazards of UV-C exposure

UV-C light is the most damaging type of UV radiation and can cause burns and eye-irritation in as little as 10 seconds. Overexposure to all UV radiation can cause serious, short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) side effects.

Exposure in the workplace

Retail workers, particularly in grocery stores, who use UV-C sanitizers may be at risk of serious injury if they expose their skin or eyes to UV-C radiation.

Cashiers sometimes use their hands to push the item through the entry flaps of the sanitizing machine and then reach through the exit flaps to pull the item out to be bagged. They could expose their hands to UV-C radiation two times for each item.

Side effects

Short-term (acute) side effects

Erythema (skin burns)

The skin reddens in response to UV radiation. It may blister and peel in severe cases. The skin protects itself by tanning. The pigment that gives skin its colour becomes darker and more pigment is produced. Prolonged exposure to UV radiation causes the skin’s outer layer to thicken. Damage accumulates and the effect doesn’t appear until later.

Photokeratitis

Photokeratitis is an eye injury caused by UV radiation. It is also known as:

  • welder’s flash
  • arc-eye
  • snow-blindness

The eye is more sensitive to UV radiation than skin because it lacks the skin’s outer layer and defensive pigment. A UV burn eye injury may cause:

  • pain
  • redness
  • blurry vision
  • seeing halos
  • light sensitivity
  • temporary vision loss

Long-term (chronic) side effects

Skin cancer

When you expose your skin to UV radiation over a long term it can cause skin cancer. Your chance of getting skin cancer increases with your lifetime UV dose, which is the total UV radiation you have received.

Cataracts

Chronic exposure to radiation can cause cataracts, which means the lens of your eye clouds over. This impairs your vision and you may need surgery.

Photoaging

Chronic exposure to UV radiation can cause the premature aging of your skin. The resulting changes in the skin include:

  • excessive wrinkling
  • dark spots
  • loss of elasticity
  • a leathery appearance

Legal requirements

As an employer, you must:

Short-wave ultraviolet radiation is harmful to workers. Where UV-C radiation is present in the workplace, retail employers must provide training to inform their workers of the:

  • hazard of UV-C radiation
  • safety measures in place to prevent their workers from overexposure to the radiation
  • required personal protective equipment

The Radiation Protection Service (RPS) applies the threshold limit values (TLVs) recommended by the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). This is a reasonable precaution for occupational exposure to UV radiation.

We enforce these limits in Ontario workplaces under clause 25(2)(h) of the (OHSA).

Precautions to consider

Consider the following to protect workers from overexposure to UV-C radiation:

  • automate the machine so workers don’t rely on their hands to get items in and out of the machine
  • get workers to use tools, rather than their hands, to push the item into the machine and retrieve it
  • provide gloves that protect workers from UV-C radiation, not just bacteria and viruses
  • provide eyewear that protects against UV-C radiation

Contact us

If you need more information about safety requirements, please contact the Health & Safety Contact Centre at 1-877-202-0008 on Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or webohs@ontario.ca.

This resource does not replace the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations and should not be used as or considered legal advice. Health and safety inspectors apply the law based on the facts in the workplace.