Safety Specialist Mtg Safety Specialist Mtg SAFETY SPECIALIST MEETING JUNE 27, 2008

LIGHTNING

Accidental Deaths Increasing at Alarming Rate More than 20 percent over a 10-year period, reaching 113,000 deaths in 2005, according to the latest data available. (Nat. Safety Council ) One person killed by accident every 5 min. At current rate, the all-time high of 116,385 accidental deaths (1969), could be surpassed in next few years.

WHAT IS THE SECOND HIGHEST CAUSE OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH?

Poisonings, Overdoses Seeing Greatest Gains

ROUNDING OUT THE TOP FIVE ACCIDENTAL CAUSES OF DEATH Falls Choking Drowning

OHIO Rank Accidental Cause Deaths 1 Motor-vehicle 1,345 2 Poisoning Falls Choking Fires, flames, smoke 105

The trend is also toward more accidental injuries/deaths in and around the home environment.

Warmer Weather Means The Return of Summer Pests

Good Bug or Bad BugGood Bug or Bad Bug LOOK FAMILIAR?

PERIODICAL CICADASPERIODICAL CICADAS PERIODICAL CICADAS: Pose no direct threat to people or pets however can be extremely annoying.

Cicada SFCicada SF

SCORPION

Wal-Mart Scorpion A scorpion found its way into a box of watermelons at the Wal-Mart in Barboursville, West Virginia, where it stung the finger of a young girl.

Watermelon Scorpion Scorpions are not native to this area and don’t normally hang out in grocery stores. PHOTO OF WAL-MART SCORPION

TICKS

TICKSTICKS are second only to mosquitoes in terms of public health importance. are a source of Lyme disease, a form of inflammatory arthritis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Both are bacterial infections. cannot jump, fly, or drop onto passing people or animals. They get on humans and animals only by direct contact. TICKS

Tick TypesTick Types DOG TICKS DEER TICKS

Prevention TipsPrevention Tips Wear light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily. Wear enclosed shoes, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirt into pants. Check clothes and any exposed skin frequently for ticks while outdoors. Consider using insect repellent.

Prevention Tips 2Prevention Tips 2 Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails. Avoid contacting vegetation. Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls. Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening. Do a final, full-body tick check at the end of the day (also check children and pets), and remove ticks promptly.  Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails. Avoid contacting vegetation.  Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls.  Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.  Do a final, full-body tick check at the end of the day (also check children and pets), and remove ticks promptly.  Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails. Avoid contacting vegetation.  Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls.  Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.  Do a final, full-body tick check at the end of the day (also check children and pets), and remove ticks promptly.

TICK REMOVAL

After RemovalAfter Removal Clean your skin with soap and warm water. Don’t be alarmed if tick’s mouthparts remain in skin. Once mouthparts are removed from the rest of the tick, it can no longer transmit Lyme disease. If you crush the tick, clean your skin with soap and warm water or alcohol. Monitor the area for any developing rash.

Seek Immediate Medical Attention Lyme Disease Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Spiders SPIDERS

Camel Spider neither a spider, strictly speaking (entomologists call it a solifugid), nor is it found only in the Middle East. Camel spiders reside in arid locales all over the world, including the southwestern United States. They are NOT NATIVE TO OHIO. A typical specimen can grow to about the size of a child's hand, but, though they are known as predators, camel spiders are neither venomous nor a threat to human beings.

BLACK WIDOW

The black widow spider (L. mactans) and the northern black widow spider (L. variolus) occur in Ohio, although both are relatively uncommon, especially in the northern half of the state. Other species of widow spiders occasionally arrive in shipments of household goods. The black widow spider has a potent neurotoxic venom and is considered the most venomous spider in North America. However, the female injects such a small dose of venom that it rarely causes death. Reports indicate human mortality at well less than 1% from black widow spider bites.

Black Widow HabitatBlack Widow Habitat Adult female northern black widow spiders are shiny black or brown-black with a row of red spots on the top of the abdomen along the midline. Two reddish triangles resembling a split hourglass are present on the underside of the abdomen. It is found in stumps, hollow logs, and piles of debris, and only rarely indoors.

IF BITTEN BY A BLACK WIDOW: Remain calm, immediately seek medical attention. Apply an ice pack directly to the bite area to relieve swelling and pain. Collect the spider (even a mangled specimen has diagnostic value), rubbing alcohol helps to preserve the spider. A hospital stay may be recommended, particularly for those with a heart condition or with health problems. A physician may administer a specific antivenin to counteract the venom or calcium gluconate to relieve pain.

The BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER is considered to be uncommon in Ohio. Is commonly referred to as "fiddleback" spider or "violin" spider because of the violin- shaped marking on the top surface of their fused head and thorax. generally occupies dark, undisturbed sites, and they can occur indoors or outdoors in places like barns, storage sheds, garages, and closets. is not aggressive, and it normally bites only when crushed, handled or disturbed.

Brown recluse spider bites. May not be aware of the bite for 2 to 8 hours. Others feel a stinging sensation followed by intense pain. A small white blister usually initially rises at the bite site surrounded by a swollen area. area enlarges and becomes red, and the tissue is hard to the touch. Lesion that forms is a dry, blue-gray or blue-white, irregular sinking patch w/ragged edges and surrounding redness--termed the "red, white, and blue sign.” Lesion usually is 1½ inches by 2¾ inches or smaller.

The majority of brown recluse bites are "uneventful," doctors say, and rarely progress even this far but in rare cases…

Preventing Spider Bites Be sure to wear gloves and a long- sleeved shirt when handling stored cardboard boxes, firewood, lumber, and rocks. Be careful and look for spiders while in wooded areas and especially in barns, storage sheds, garages, etc. Shake out clothing and shoes before getting dressed. If bitten and discoloration/swelling appear seek medical attention.

SNAKES

Aquatic queen snake prefers slow moving or shallow rocky creeks and rivers Frequently seen and captured by overturning large flat stones, boards, or other debris along streams. When first captured, some attempt to bite. However, their teeth are so small they can barely pierce the skin. Others make no attempt to bite but will struggle to escape. QUEEN SNAKE, in.

Garter and Ribbon snakes-close relatives of the water snake-are are usually 18 to 26 inches long. They usually have yellowish stripes on a dark background. These snakes occur in a wide variety of moist habitats-in wet woodlands, meadows, bogs, and marshes, and along drainage ditches and streams. Ribbon snakes seldom venture far from water. Garters feed primarily on frogs, toads, salamanders, earthworms, minnows, and mice. Ribbons are the same except no earthworms/mice. Garter snakes, a.k.a. garden snakes, are probably the most widely known of all Ohio snakes. GARTER SNAKES AND RIBBON SNAKES

Eastern Hog Nose Snake Length in. Completely harmless but frightening. When alarmed, it coils, flattens its head and neck to form a cobra-like hood, inflates its body, hisses fiercely, and strikes violently. Strikes-usually with the mouth closed-falls short of the target. If that doesn’t work it resorts to "playing possum." After danger passes, it will raise its head, look around, turn upright, and go on its way. Coloration is extremely variable, with color phases ranging from yellow and brown to black and gray. The most reliable field mark is the turned-up, hoglike snout, which is used for digging out the toads that are its primary food. The eastern hognose ranges over all of Ohio except the northeastern corner. Dry, sandy areas are preferred. In southern Ohio it occurs in most of the hill counties.

EASTERN SMOOTH EARTH SNAKE Length 7-10 in., small, plain gray or brownish snake with a plain white or yellowish belly. Many marked with a no. of small black dots on back. The distinctly small head and lack of distinctive body markings are good identifiers. In Ohio it occurs only in the southern quarter of the state, especially in the forested area of Shawnee and Pike state forests. Like the worm snake, this reptile is very secretive and spends most of its time hiding beneath flat stones and similar objects.

BLACK RAT SNAKE Ohio's largest snake can be more than eight feet long. Occurs throughout Ohio. Often found high in trees, taking shelter in holes and other cavities. When encountered, most freeze in position and remain motionless. When picked up, they will struggle/strike, coil tightly about the arm and discharge a foul-smelling substance. Often hibernate in rock crevices in the company of other snakes, such as copperheads and rattlers. They also play an essential role in controlling destructive rodents.

NORTHERN COPPERHEAD Length in. Copperheads have the dubious distinction of having bitten more people in the United States than any other poisonous snake, yet fewer snakebite deaths are attributed to the copperhead. Although the bite is rarely fatal, it is extremely painful. They show a marked preference for the rocky, wooded hillsides of southeastern Ohio. They tend to stay away from well settled areas. When encountered, copperheads are usually content to lie motionless, or retreat if given the chance. One of the best ways to see copperheads is to go for a drive at night, especially after a warm rain has broken a long hot, dry spell. Copperheads enjoy lying on wet, steaming roads.

TIMBER RATTLESNAKE The most dangerous snakes in northeastern America. They may attain a length in excess of six feet, but average three to four feet long. Fortunately, when encountered most timber rattlers are mild in disposition unless aroused, and make little attempt to rattle or strike. Most remain coiled or quickly crawl away if given the opportunity. Numbers have been drastically reduced by development. Colonies persist in widely scattered areas in southern Ohio. They are most numerous in the more remote areas of Zaleski, Pike, Shawnee, and Tar Hollow state forests. They prefer dry, wooded hill country where they prey on a variety of small warmblooded animals. They have two basic color phases. A yellow phase has a series of dark brown or black chevron-shaped crossbands on a ground color of brownish yellow. A black phase has the crossbands on a ground color of blackish brown.

BLACK KINGSNAKE Length in. This handsomely marked constrictor is limited in Ohio to Adams, Scioto, Jackson, and Lawrence counties, and even in this area it is relatively uncommon, It shows a marked preference for river bottomlands. Except in early spring and fall, when they bask in the open, these snakes are very secretive, spending the day beneath logs, rocks, and the like, and emerging to hunt by night. Their diet includes small mammals, lizards, birds, and small snakes including venomous species. Kingsnakes are immune to normal quantities of venom from all of our native poisonous snakes. Although often pugnacious when first encountered, with handling they soon become extremely gentle and long-lived captives.