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SAFETY MOMENT, MARCH 30

Cover up and use repellent

Safety moment, March 30

Cover up and use repellent

Outdoor crews work where ticks, mosquitoes and stinging insects live: tall grass, brush, wood piles, eaves and equipment that has sat for a while. Ticks and mosquitoes can spread diseases such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus, and a sting can set off a severe allergic reaction that needs emergency care right away.

SAFETY MOMENT

March 30

The hazard

Outdoor crews work where ticks, mosquitoes and stinging insects live: tall grass, brush, wood piles, eaves and equipment that has sat for a while. Ticks and mosquitoes can spread diseases such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus, and a sting can set off a severe allergic reaction that needs emergency care right away.

The action

Wear long sleeves and long pants, and tuck your pants into your socks or boots in grass and brush. Light colors make ticks easier to spot. Use an EPA-registered insect repellent on exposed skin and follow the label. Clothing treated with permethrin helps against ticks, but permethrin goes on clothing and gear, never on skin.

ASK THE CREW

What repellent and long-sleeve gear do we have on the truck?

From the talk: Insects, ticks and stings. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

PRINT AND EDIT

365 safety moments, $29

One moment for every day of the year in the same format as this one: the hazard, the action, the question and the source talk with its citation. Print a page a day or show a slide.

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  • English and Spanish
  • Each moment links back to its cited toolbox talk

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Free 52-week toolbox talk calendar (PDF)