Three Things Crews Get Wrong About Ticks and Lyme Disease

Three Things Crews Get Wrong About Ticks and Lyme Disease

Myth 1: 'Ticks jump or fall from trees onto your head.'

Reality: Ticks do not jump, fly, or drop from above. They climb upward from the ground.

Ticks position themselves on the tips of low-lying brush, tall grass, and weeds. When a worker brushes past the plant, the insect grabs onto the clothing or skin and immediately begins crawling upward. Under 29 CFR 1926.21, employers must instruct employees in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions. For outdoor crews, this means understanding that the actual line-of-fire for this biological hazard is at ground level.

Myth 2: 'If a tick bites you, burn it off or cover it in petroleum jelly.'

Reality: Applying heat or chemicals to an attached tick increases the risk of infection.

Using a lighter, a hot match, or petroleum jelly on a tick causes physical trauma or suffocates it. In response, the insect may regurgitate its stomach contents into the bloodstream before it dies or detaches, potentially transmitting bacteria. The safest removal method is mechanical: use fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the insect as close to the skin surface as possible, and pull straight upward with steady, even pressure.

Myth 3: 'My standard long-sleeve work shirt and jeans will keep ticks off me.'

Reality: Standard loose-fitting cotton clothing is not a barrier; it is a ladder.

Ticks easily crawl up the outside of boots, slip under loose pant legs, and find their way to the skin. To prevent this, pant legs must be tucked tightly into boots or socks, sealing the entry point at the ankle. Under 29 CFR 1926.95, appropriate personal protective equipment must be provided and used when workers are exposed to environmental hazards capable of causing injury or impairment through absorption or physical contact.

Quick Reference

What To Do With This At Tomorrow's Huddle

When working in overgrown right-of-ways, brush, and tall grass, biological exposure becomes a primary hazard for our tasks. We are working in similar brush and tall grass today, making it critical to control our exposure.

Discussion Prompts

• Looking at our site plan today, where is the ground or soil covered in the kind of tall grass or brush where biological hazards will be present?
• What simultaneous operations, like digging or staging materials, might force us to step off the cleared path and into high-risk vegetation?
• What is the first sign we are going off-plan with our biological hazard controls, such as workers untucking their pants or taking off long sleeves due to the heat?

Hierarchy of Controls

We must tackle this using the hierarchy of controls, stated explicitly, in order: elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and PPE. What is the highest-order control we can use TODAY?

• Elimination: Can we completely avoid entering the overgrown areas to perform today's tasks?
• Substitution: (Not applicable for naturally occurring biological hazards).
• Engineering: Can we use mechanical brush-hogs, mowers, or heavy equipment to clear the vegetation and create safe walking paths before any foot traffic enters the area?
• Administrative: We will schedule our walking routes strictly down the center of cleared paths and mandate buddy checks before getting back into the company trucks.
• PPE: We will wear light-colored clothing, tuck pants into boots, and apply approved repellents to exposed skin and clothing.

Action Steps

• Clear walking paths and work areas using mechanical mowers or heavy equipment before ground crews enter. Owner: Foreman Due: Before task execution today
• Distribute insect repellent and confirm all crew members have pant legs tucked into boots. Owner: Safety Representative Due: End of this huddle
• Conduct a mandatory buddy check, focusing on the back of knees, beltline, and neck, before entering vehicles. Owner: All Crew Members Due: End of shift today

Note: Stop-work authority: Every worker has the right and responsibility to pause work if asked to wade into overgrown, infested areas without proper clearing equipment or PPE. There is zero retaliation for prioritizing your health and stopping unsafe environmental exposures.

Note: Close-the-loop: The Foreman will report back at tomorrow's huddle on whether our mechanical brush-clearing methods were effective, or if we need to bring in different equipment to keep crews out of the brush.

Note: Verification question: Do we HAVE the controls right now—are the repellents, tweezers, and clearing equipment physically on the truck?

Note: Comprehension check: What are we doing differently today with our clothing and our work paths to ensure biological hazards cannot reach our skin?

Sources

1. 29 CFR 1926.21 - Safety training and education — OSHA, 2026-07-16. osha.gov
2. 29 CFR 1926.95 - Criteria for personal protective equipment — OSHA, 2026-07-16. osha.gov