A West Australian tradesman has suffered first-degree burns after the reflective strip on his high visibility work clothing magnified a case of sunburn.

The 40-year-old field engineer initially noticed what he thought was a painful red rash as he undressed following work on the mine site.

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He took himself to a hospital and doctors soon realised the man actually had first-degree burns.

When assessed, emergency medicine specialist Ioana Vlad noticed the red marks matched up with the reflective strip on his work shirt.

The doctor is now warning of the dangers of reflective high vis, The West Australian has reported.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before, and I couldn’t find another case in the medical literature,” she said.

“The patient mentioned during the day, he felt the tape very hot against his skin.”

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“If they have experienced this, they should make their workplace aware, they should also check their shirts, that if they have reflective tape, and make sure there is a piece of cloth between the tape and their skin,” Dr Vlad added.

The case took place back in January 2018 but has come to light following a letter to the editor in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday.

The tradesman was treated with aloe vera and painkillers, making a full recovery from the burns.

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