Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool Loss Prevention

Any employee working outdoors is at risk of exposure to poisonous plants and venomous insects. Symptoms from exposure to plants or insects can occur within minutes and reactions vary from mild to life-threatening. This safety training will increase your awareness of safety issues and provide effective solutions regarding:

Poisons are swallowed or absorbed. Venoms are injected by fangs or stings.

Poison Ivy – Poison Oak – Poison Sumac Urushiol – oily organic allergen in plant sap, resin, pale yellow-white in color. Turns black in air. Induced contact dermatitis (rash) Member of the Cashew family: Mangoes & Pistachios Leaves of 3, Let It Be!

Mild Medium Extreme URUSHIOL - Contact dermatitis ( rash: days / ends 14 – 21 days ) sensitivity of the individual severity of exposure * Possible allergic reaction

Loss Prevention Newsletter: Vol. 3 Issue 4 July – September 2011

Best Prevention: No contact - no problem! When working in an area where the possibility of contact exist; (IvyX) Use barrier cream: (IvyX) Wear PPE: long sleeved shirt, gloves, boots and pants Best Treatment: Wash with soap and water at once after exposure After 10 minutes, only 50% of the resin is removable After 30 minutes, only 10%, rash normally clears in days Hydrocortisone Cream: used for temporary relief of itching due to rashes, insect bites, poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

Do not burn plants or brush piles that may contain poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac. Inhaling smoke from burning plants containing urushiol can cause severe allergic reactions & respiratory problems. Personal Protective Equipment

Loss Prevention Newsletter: Vol. 1 Issue 3 April – June 2009

* Most active in spring and fall (new hives) * Honey bees (sting only once – barbed stinger) * Bee stings (immediate swelling, possible allergic reaction) * Do not pinch the stinger to remove it. (Remove the stinger and the attached poison sac by scraping it from the skin with a dull edge of a credit card or fingernail.) * Africanized honey bees (difficult to distinguish from managed bees)

Africanized Bees are spreading rapidly!

Stay calm, get indoors (possibly apply cold compress) * Breathing difficulty, seek medical attention immediately (911) Itching should subside in a few hours (If some sort of allergic reaction, see a doctor immediately. Symptoms; difficulty breathing, weakness, nausea, shock, and possibly unconsciousness) * If you know that you are allergic to bee stings, consult your doctor about a preventative anti-venom first-aid kit * If you see someone else being stung multiple times, call first, and take measures to get them to safety, if possible, without endangering yourself.

Venom affects nervous system (neurotoxin) * First symptom: acute pain at site of the bite in 20 minutes * Local pain followed by severe muscle cramps, abdominal pain, weakness, and tremor * In severe cases, nausea, vomiting, fainting, dizziness, chest pain, and respiratory difficulties may follow * Abdominal & chest pain, elevated blood pressure & heart rate * Severity of reaction depends on: age and physical condition People rarely die from a black widow's bite. Life-threatening reactions are generally seen only in small children and the elderly.

Treatment for serious reactions to a black widow spider's bite require urgent medical attention Pain relief : possibly the use of narcotics and antivenin (antitoxin to counteract the effects of the spider venom) * Decision to seek emergency care should be made early! If the person bitten by a black widow spider has more than minor pain or has whole-body symptoms (if symptoms are severe), call 911.

Brown Recluse (a.k.a. Violin Spider) Identified by the violin on the back.

Brown recluse venom is very poisonous and destructive! Tissue death (necrosis) in areas surrounding the bite can cause: Destruction of red blood cells Low platelet count Blood clots in the capillaries and loss of ability to form clots Acute renal failure (kidney damage) Coma Death

Brown recluse spider bite often go unnoticed (usually painless bites) Some minor burning (feels like a bee sting at the time of the bite) Symptoms usually develop 2 to 8 hours (after a bite) Victims may experience these symptoms, initially: * severe pain at bite site after about 4 hours, severe itching, nausea, vomiting, fever, and muscle pain. Initially the bite site is mildly red - close inspection may reveal fang marks. Keep in mind that bites cause little tissue destruction, initially…. The bite may become more severe with blistering, leading to a blue discoloration, and ultimately leading to a necrotic lesion and scarring.

Serious reactions – may require medical attention depending upon how it affects the individual Pain relief: may require the use of narcotics / medication to deal with possible narcosis The decision to seek emergency care should be made early. If the person bitten by a brown recluse spider has more than minor pain (or necrosis) and swelling starts, seek medical attention immediately! Necrosis (death of the flesh) is extremely painful and can begin just a few hours after a bite!

Day 3 Day 2Day 5Day 6 Day 9Day 10 The Brown Recluse is ‘Lean & Mean’!

Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool Loss Prevention