Ensuring employee safety outdoors
Working outdoors can be exciting and rewarding. However, there are many risks that come with working outside and one of these risks is the outdoor wildlife. Each year between 7,000 and 8,000 people are bitten by snakes, 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs, and 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC. Additionally, approximately 40,000 people receive anti-rabies treatment after exposure to potentially rabid animals. Working outdoors significantly increases your chance of encountering local wildlife and, as a result, your risk of having a bad encounter with them. Follow these 3 tips and you will significantly reduce your risk of a bad encounter:
- Know your local wildlife
- Ticks and other insects tend to live in areas that have high grass or are wooded
- Mosquitoes are present around areas of standing water
- If you work in a more urban environment, you are more likely to encounter stray dogs and sometimes even animals like raccoons
- Snakes are found all over the world in different environments
- Take preventative steps
- Clear the worksite to decrease the likelihood that animals will stay in the area
- Snakes like to hide under leaf and wood piles
- Large amounts of trash may attract stray dogs or raccoons
- Cut grass to keep ticks out
- Remove standing water to discourage mosquito reproduction
- Wear the appropriate clothing for your work environment to reduce tick and other insect bites
- Use insect repellant to reduce the chance of receiving insect bites
- Keep a first aid kit on site
- Appropriately interact with wildlife
- Avoid feeding them as they will learn to come around the worksite more often
- If you are bitten by an animal, seek medical attention
- Gather information about the animal that bit you and provide it to the doctor and local animal control authorities
- If an animal appears aggressive or otherwise needs to be removed, retreat to a safe location and contact animal control
Animals are great but nobody needs them interfering with their jobs. By understanding the wildlife in your area, taking steps to prevent wildlife intrusion, and being safe when encountering them, your risk of harmful confrontations will be much lower. The outdoors is a great place to work, be safe while you’re out there.
