Insect Bites and Stings
Insect Bites and Stings
Stinging or biting insects or scorpions can be hazardous to outdoor workers. Stinging or biting insects include bees, wasps, hornets, and fire ants.
The health effects of stinging or biting insects or scorpions range from mild discomfort or pain to a lethal reaction for those workers allergic to the insect’s venom. Anaphylactic shock is the body’s severe allergic reaction to a bite or sting and requires immediate emergency care. Thousands of people are stung by insects each year, and as many as 90–100 people in the United States die as a result of allergic reactions. This number may be underreported as deaths may be mistakenly diagnosed as heart attacks or sunstrokes or may be attributed to other causes.
Exposed arms and hands tend to be more susceptible to stings and bites among workers than legs and feet, which are usually protected by clothing and enclosed shoes. In the study of occupationally related bites and stings, the head, one of the most exposed body parts, accounted for one-tenth of cases involving insects and arachnids; a third of those cases affected the eyes.
Symptoms & Treatment
Venom from stings and bites often causes minor swelling, redness pain and itching. Reactions can vary from mild to severe. In rare cases, a bite or sting is potentially lethal for people who are highly allergic to the venom.
Emergency Response
Bite and sting victims should be observed for severe allergic reaction. Symptoms such as coughing, trouble breathing, chest pain, severe sweating, confusion, nausea, vomiting and hives require immediate emergency medical attention. If it’s safe to do so, a bite or sting victim may be carefully moved to a protected or shaded area. When assisting someone who has been bitten or stung, it’s important to be aware of surroundings. For example, stinging bees release a chemical that attracts more bees; swarming fire ants become agitated and more aggressive. If a spider or scorpion bite is suspected, an effective medical response can be expedited if a specimen can be collected or visually identified. If the victim carries an epinephrine autoinjector (e.g., EpiPen, Auvi-Q) to treat an allergic attack, it may be necessary to assist with injecting the medication. This is usually done by pressing the auto-injector against the person's thigh and holding it in place for several seconds.
Other steps in the event of an emergency:
- Loosen tight clothing and cover with a blanket.
- Do not give the person anything to drink.
- Turn the person on one side to prevent choking.
- Begin CPR if the person is unresponsive.
First Aid
Most bites and stings will heal on their own with appropriate first aid and self-care. For an inflamed insect bite or sting, apply a wrapped ice pack for no more than 15 to 20 minutes an hour for the first six hours. When not using ice, keep a cool, wet cloth on the bite or sting for up to six hours. After the first six hours, if swelling is not present, warmth may be applied to the site for comfort.
The following may be used to help relieve pain and itching: antihistamine, local anesthetic spray, hydrocortisone cream (1%) or calamine lotion. Under all circumstances, if considering the use of any type of over-the-counter remedy, carefully follow instructions and be certain it will not cause drowsiness or otherwise affect the ability to work safely. If unsure about medication effects, ask a prescribing clinician or pharmacist. To help prevent a skin infection after a bite or sting, wash the area with soap and water and wipe it with rubbing alcohol or first-aid antiseptic. Do not break any blisters. If a bite becomes irritated, apply a non-prescription antibiotic ointment and cover it with a bandage. Signs of an infection that requires medical evaluation include increased pain, swelling, redness, warmth around the bite or sting, red streaks leading from the area, draining pus and fever. For puncture-type wounds, tetanus vaccination is recommended if the person has never been immunized against tetanus or has not received a booster within the past five years. (A tetanus booster is routinely recommended every 10 years.
Protect Yourself
- Wear light-colored, smooth-finished clothing.
- Use EPA Registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone.
- Avoid perfumed soaps, shampoos, and deodorants.
- Do not wear cologne or perfume.
- Wear clean clothing and bathe daily.
- Wear clothing to cover as much of the body as possible.
- Avoid flowering plants when possible.
- Keep work areas clean. Some insects are attracted to discarded food.
- Remain calm and still if a single stinging insect is flying around. (Swatting may cause it to sting.)
- If attacked by several stinging insects, run to get away. (Bees release a chemical when they sting, which attracts other bees.)
- Go indoors.
- Shaded areas are better than open areas.
- Do not jump into water. Some insects (ex. Africanized honey bees) are known to hover above the water.
- If an insect is inside your vehicle, stop slowly, and open all the windows.
- Workers with a history of severe allergic reactions to insect bites or stings should carry an epinephrine autoinjector and wear medical ID jewelry stating their allergy
- Manage your environment by checking the area before starting work, closing windows, using screens and nets, and removing any food or other attractive items. Insects and ants may be hidden in dark corners, or under wood piles, fallen logs or animal carcasses. Areas with abundant flowers attract bugs and bees.
- Do not disturb hives, mounds or nests. Be aware of swarming bees and insects, stay calm and leave the area if they become agitated.
Near Misses Reported in April
At the wet lands area, the last stringing truck was unable to unload at the location. The truck was unloaded and stockpiled at the road. The vacu-hoe picked up the top pipe and at that point a chock broke at the bottom of the stack causing the load to shift. The top two rows of pipe fell off the truck (five joints). The laborers were in their proper positions, outside the buffer zone, and no one was injured. The pipe fell in such a way that no pipe was damaged, other than coating.
After a short stand down and safety meeting, the lesson learned was to put stanchions on the truck, which would have kept the bottom rows from shifting when chock broke.
A truck with a gooseneck trailer backed into another truck. Work was stopped.
We reviewed the incident and talk about what should have been done to prevent this. I.E: use a spotter when backing up, 360-walk around before getting in the vehicle to move it, etc.
Commissioning left a pipe plug out of a high point vent valve. The valve was accidently opened when the electrical cable that the contractor was pulling caught the valve handle and opened the valve.
Going forward in commissioning controlled areas, the Commissioning Safety Rep will walk the area where the contractor will be working to ensure all valves are secured to prevent unintentional opening or closing.
A skid Steer was overloaded causing the back of the tracks to lift off the ground.
Work was stopped and the operator was told to use a bigger lift for the task.
During the unloading process of a flat bed trailer, the pallet failed 12" off of the assigned staging area, allowing the valve to roll.
All of the remaining pallets on the flat bed were inspected. A strap was used to secure the load and pallet, plus the equipment to the fork truck.
The contractor was working on installing a new section of line. While the line was open, they wanted to remove an old concrete support. The track hoe operator started to reach over and use the bucket to forcefully remove the concrete support with the open end of the crude line 3' away.
The operator was told to stop and discussed the likelihood of the steel bucket on the concrete creating sparks with the contractor. If this method was going to be used, the line would need to blinded off and the area made safe for spark producing work.
We are pleased to announce that we have partnered up with Boot Barn to offer all Applied Consultants inspectors a 15% discount on all purchases “work related” from the Boot Barn, Nation Wide. Be sure to tell them you work for Applied Consultants and use the key word: “Safety First” to receive the discount.
April Winners
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Jonathan Brown - Bronze |
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