Biting and Stinging Safety Hazzards (May-June 2009)
by
Bill Laney, Murr & Laney, Inc.
I have an idea that most of us give this subject little thought. We have regular safety meetings on fall protection, ladder safety, tool and material safety, clean environment, etc. But what about dangers we don't see or think about? Like any new safety or hazard problem, an education will be needed.
Now you may think: What does this have to do with my roofing jobs? When we go hunting, camping, hiking, golfing or other outdoor activities we watch out for these hazards. On our construction jobs the noise will keep these dangers away. All this could be partially true; but! What about our employees who may not have grown up around these dangers? Who may think that no poisonous crawling or flying critters live in town?
This has come to my attention because I had an employee bitten by a Brown Recluse Spider; a former Boy Scout and son-in-law to get bitten by a Copperhead, and a grandson to get bitten by a Cotton-Mouth. I have friends who wear Epi-pen packs for bee or wasp stings. Watching the TV documentary "Bitten," and having been to snake programs by Ross Allen, knowing each year that we have people stung by wasps, and send wasp and hornet spray out with the trucks, prompted this article. I don't recall that we have discussed this any time in the past.
The area that our Association covers includes all the listed poisonous snakes and insects. We range from the mountains through the swamps to the coast. The buildings that we work on can be a new or old building set in a new or old migratory trail that critters have inherently used. The method of material storage on the job site and the length of time it is stored makes it an ideal habitat for hidden dangers. A few areas to watch for are palletized material, asphalt, roof insulation, slate, shingles or other material that you cannot see under. Vegetation growing up around our pallets or stored material, and Ivey and shrubbery in town are potential hiding spots. When doing repair work (especially wood work), always know what's there before putting your
hands into dark areas. Accumulating debris, ladders and walk boards stored on the ground could be where all the ants, spiders and snakes can hide. Clothes, shoes, and hardhats are also hiding places for spiders. One lesson that I learned in basic training is always shake your boots out before you put them on. I practice this habit to this day even if I took them off an hour earlier.
Spring, summer and early fall seems to be our greatest problem times. However, caution should be year-round for spiders.
Where I grew up on the farm in Lancaster County, South Carolina, the snakes we had were Copperhead and Cotton-mouths. I learned early how to watch for snakes. My father was always walking in the woods on Sunday. On this particular Sunday, it was warm with sun rays spotting through the trees into grass and brush piles. All of a sudden, Pop said, "you did see the Copperhead that you just stepped over, didn't you?" "No," I said. He told me to go back, look at it, and remember what it looked like. A three-foot Copperhead doesn't seem very large until you see it coiled up. A serious lesson learned.
So why is this subject of importance now? The article about Needle-Ants in the Charlotte Observer recently prompted my attention. I thought we only had Fire Ants to worry about. As the weather gets warmer, the insects and reptiles will get active. What we think of as a safe environment today, could be a hazard the next day. Ant hills seem to appear over night.
What are a few of the seen or unseen dangers that we need to be concerned about?
Insects: Brown Recluse and Black Widow Spiders. Saddle back worms, fire ants, needle ants, honey bees, yellow jackets, wasps, hornets, mosquitoes.
Flying, we may need to include Bats and Pigeons.
Snakes: Coral Snake, Copperhead, Cotton-mouth moccasin, Rattlesnakes (pigmy, cane break, diamond-back).
You won't find all species in every county of North Carolina and South Carolina. There will be a combination of them. For the purpose of this article we will only be concerned with those critters that are poisonous or health hazards. Other snakes such as Black Snake, King Snake and Water Moccasins may be larger, but don't pose the dangerous threat that the poisonous ones do. A common sense approach is to leave dangerous insects and reptiles alone and don't try to catch them. If needed, call critter control. So many people get bitten by trying to catch and remove the danger.
Of uttermost importance: Get medical help as quickly as possible with any bite or sting. With stings, employees should alert their supervisor immediately, especially if they have a history of allergic reaction to stings of any kind. The old Boy Scout method of treating snake bites is not recommended. Some insect stings can have an accumulative affect along with the unpredictability of our employees when stung or bitten.
Next time: Where and what you may find in your area.