The Trade Shade is an Australian-designed solution helping to keep miners safe from the sun.

Australian miners are no stranger to the sun. With many of the country’s mines located in some of its hottest, sunniest places, surface miners are at particular risk.

According to the Cancer Council, around two thirds of Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer during their lifetime. Skin cancer accounts for around 80 per cent of all newly diagnosed cancers, and the majority of those – an estimated 95 per cent – are caused by sun exposure.

But skin cancer isn’t what led young Queensland electrician Sean Conneely to develop his sun-blocking solution.

“I was a domestic electrician for many years, which involved a lot of switchboard upgrades,” Conneely told Safe to Work. “You could be out in the sun for hours, sometimes all day, with no option but to stay out there and bake.”

In 2020, following one too many hot days in the Queensland sun, Conneely decided enough was enough. After a few initial prototypes made in the downstairs car park of his apartment building, Conneely developed the first iteration of what would go on to become one of Australia’s best-selling sun-protection solutions, the Trade Shade.

A portable sun protection solution, the Trade Shade combines a strong magnetic base with an adjustable umbrella holder. The magnets are encased in rubber to ensure any surface remains scratch-free.

It was during his initial research for the Trade Shade that Conneely discovered just how dangerous exposure to the sun was for workers like him.

“If you don’t get it early, skin cancer can turn into this big thing that it doesn’t need to,” he said. “Tradies are in the sun all the time, so they can often neglect it, but we need to make it less taboo to go get a skin check and prioritise looking after ourselves working outdoors.”

Conneely himself had a close call when he had a suspicious spot removed during a skin check. The spot was benign, but the sun safety seed was already planted.

“The first prototype was developed from parts from the local hardware shop and involved some late nights cutting steel pipe with an angle grinder after I finished work for the day,” Conneely said.

“I started using it at work and a few of my mates saw it and wanted one for themselves, and everything just snowballed from there.”

Conneely spent the next six months perfecting his design, teaching himself how to develop a website, building a fulfillment process and getting comfortable in front of the camera for his growing social media platform, all while continuing his full-time job as an electrician.

“The Trade Shade as it is today is compatible with most umbrellas on the market,” Conneely said. “It has an adjustable mechanism that allows the holder to be continually adjusted to protect workers as the sun moves, or from any direction rain might be coming in.”

As word got out, orders for the Trade Shade continued to grow. With mates working at mines across Queensland and Western Australia taking Conneely’s innovation to site, it wasn’t long before those orders started to come from the state’s mining majors.

“It spread like wildfire,” Conneely said. “The only real competition out there is the gazebo, which is bulky to carry around and time consuming to set up. It’s not really practical on a busy mine site where you’re going from job to job and have limited space in your service vehicle.

“With the Trade Shade, it only takes a few seconds to stick it to the closest metallic surface and get to work with hands-free protection from the sun.”

After two years working on the Trade Shade, Conneely went part-time on the tools to focus more energy on the exploding business, finally leaving altogether in December last year.

“I was getting up at five in the morning for work, then getting home at three or four in the afternoon and packaging up orders and racing to the post office before it closed,” Conneely said. “Then I would get to work on the website and answering emails until late into the night, and rinse and repeat the next day.”

For Conneely, it’s all worth it to know he’s keeping workers protected from the harsh Australian sun.

One mine in particular has seen great success in using the Trade Shade.

“The Trade Shade has been a game-changer in enhancing sun safety across our mining projects,” Queensland project manager R. Doo said. “It’s durable, easy-to-install design provides crucial shade coverage in areas where workers previously had limited protection from the harsh sun.

“By reducing direct UV exposure, the Trade Shade has significantly improved workplace safety, comfort and morale.

“We’ve noticed a decrease in heat-related fatigue and better compliance with sun safety protocols, ultimately contributing to increased productivity and worker wellbeing.

“If you’re looking for a reliable, long-lasting solution to protect your team and meet sun safety requirements, the Trade Shade is a must-have investment. Its robust construction, adaptability to any site, and ability to withstand tough conditions make it the ideal choice for industries like ours.”

With more developments in the pipeline, Conneely is looking to the future. And with stockists in every Australian state and territory, he has plans to take the Trade Shade worldwide.

“We want to get sun protection to as many mine workers and tradies across the world as possible, not just Aussies,” he said. “Our mission is to spread the word about staying safe in the sun and the importance of looking after yourself while you work.”