Sun safety attitudes on the move

South Wales based roofing company, M Camilleri & Sons Roofing Ltd, is committed to raising awareness of the hazards of working outdoors in the summer.

The business is an active participant in Marley’s long-running ‘Safe in the Sun’ campaign, which provides advice and practical support to help protect roofers as the temperatures soar.

“Marley’s annual ‘Safe in the Sun’ campaign has been excellent in helping to raise awareness about the dangers of working outdoors and what can be done to ensure roofers protect themselves,” says Marco Camilleri, who runs the family-owned M Camilleri & Sons Roofing.

Operating since 1981, M Camilleri & Sons Roofing is a well-established company, delivering heritage, commercial and residential roofing projects across South Wales and the Southeast. With a workforce of 55 skilled roofers, Marco works hard to ensure his employees are fully aware of the health hazards presented by outdoor working, especially as the weather warms up.

Marco adds: “With the seasons changing, we’re more aware than ever about the risks of working in different weather conditions – and we place a lot of emphasis on safe working and employee protection Marley’s annual sun safety campaign helps us with this, and it’s definitely raised awareness and supported to change habits.”

As well as undertaking toolbox talks with his workers onsite, to remind them of the need to take sun safety seriously, Marco also instigates practical measures: “Marley’s SPF30 sunscreen clip on sunscreen bottles and aluminium drinks bottles, available as part of its 2025 campaign, are incredibly valuable for roofers. In hot weather conditions, we carry out additional checks to ensure roofers have cold drinks, and that they have applied sunscreen – including to sometimes forgotten areas, such as the neck and ears. This, combined with regular risk assessments and mandatory short breaks in the shade through the day, ensures our roofers are able to carry out their working commitments safely.”

M Camilleri & Sons also supplies appropriate clothing in the summer months, with lighter, technical t-shirts helping to keep the workforce cool and comfortable.

And the safety-first message is reinforced across all the working sites that the Camilleri roofers operate on. Marco says: “We make sure that we have posters on display at all our sites to act as a constant reminder and ensure the sun safety message really hits home.”

Marco is also clear that attitudes to outdoor working have thankfully evolved over the past two or three decades, saying: “In my experience, thirty years ago, sunscreen use was pretty rare on site, but this has changed in the intervening years, and people – especially younger roofers – are far more conscious of the protection they need to take to stay safe for the long term.

“The good work of companies, like Marley, through important campaigns and practical support has helped this, but it is a message we need to continue to communicate into the future with summers predicted to get hotter.”

Visit Marley’s website for more information.