Ticks & Lyme Disease

Outdoor workers are exposed to a variety of hazards that depend on their type of work, season, and duration of time they are outside. A specific hazard that outdoor workers are exposed to are ticks. Ticks may be infected with bacteria, parasites, and viruses, and can pass certain pathogens to humans. Lyme Disease is an infection that can result from a tick bite. It is important for workers to protect themselves while working outdoors in order to prevent the spread of disease.

How to Protect Yourself:

• Use insect repellent that contains 20 – 30% DEET.
• Wear clothing that has been treated with permethrin.
• Take a shower as soon as you can after working outdoors.
• Look for ticks on your body. Ticks can hide under the armpits, behind the knees, in the hair, and in the groin.
• Put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 60 minutes to kill any remaining ticks.

How to Remove a Tick:

• If a tick is attached to you, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick at the surface of your skin.
•  Pull the tick straight up and out. Don’t twist or jerk the tick—this can cause the mouthparts to break off and stay in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth parts with tweezers if you can. If not, leave them alone and let your skin heal.
• Clean the bite and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
• You may get a small bump or redness that goes away in 1-2 days, like a mosquito bite. This is not a sign that you have Lyme disease.

Note: Do not put hot matches, nail polish, or petroleum jelly on the tick to try to make it pull away from your skin. If you remove a tick quickly (within 24 hours) you can greatly reduce your chances of getting Lyme disease. For more information about Lyme disease, visit https://www.cdc.gov/Lyme