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In Connecticut, occupational exposure to tick-borne diseases is a recognized hazard. Outdoor workers must protect themselves in the spring, summer, and fall when ticks are most active.

School and Parks & Rec departments should be hyperaware of the danger to students and children participating in summer camp or other outdoor sports activities.

Those who are at particular risk include: 
– Parks and recreation employees,
– Public works employees,
– Summer camp counselors,
– Animal control officers,
– Athletic coaches and teachers, and
– Police officers and firefighters

Ticks in Connecticut can carry a variety of disease-causing agents, including bacteria, protozoa, rickettsia, and the rare but fatal Powassan Virus.

Tick-Borne Diseases Identified in Connecticut: 
– Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi),
– Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum),
– Babesiosis (Babesia microti),
– Ehrlichiosis(Ehrlichia chaffeensis),
– Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii),
– Powassan encephalitis(POWV), and
– Hard-tick relapsing fever (Borrelia miyamotoi).

While the number of human cases of these diseases in Connecticut remains low, the infection may have serious consequences. Without preventive measures in tick-infested areas, contracting a tick-borne illness in Connecticut, particularly Lyme disease, is entirely plausible.

All public sector employees required to work in tick-infested areas should know how to protect themselves and their coworkers from tick bites and the signs and symptoms of Tick-borne Disease. For information on workplace controls and Lyme Disease symptoms, download NIOSH Fast Facts. In addition, CONN-OSHA’s Safety and Health Consultation Program is available to help Connecticut employers with this initiative.

Read more about this issue in the CONN-OSHA quarterly.

Download CIRMA’s Tail Gate topic on Ticks and Lyme Disease.

Access CIRMA’s online portal for more important employee training and education tools and resources on relevant seasonal topics.

Water You Waiting For? Proper Hydration Can Curtail Summer Losses and Keep Employees Safe.

Claims involving dehydration and heat exhaustion can be costly—Connecticut municipalities experienced over $150 million in related medical expense losses alone over the past five years.

Despite their severe symptoms, heat-related illnesses, such as dehydration and heat exhaustion, can be easily avoided through early identification and prompt treatment. Understanding the early warning signs of these conditions is crucial as they can be quite severe if left untreated. If an employee loses consciousness, call 911 immediately.

The most common early warning signs include:

Additional warning signs may also include:

If symptoms are minor and quickly identified, the individual should take fluids to rehydrate as soon as possible. Drinking small sips for approximately 2-4 hours will help avoid exacerbating symptoms. Resting in the shade or indoors until symptoms subside is also a good idea.

Public entities can be at higher risk; however, increasing awareness across your workforce will avoid incidents and reduce costly losses.

Are you confident that your employees know how to identify and treat dehydration and heat exhaustion? Not sure? Share this helpful information to help keep them informed and healthy.

Check out CIRMA’s Beat the Heat article to learn how to identify heat-related illnesses.