The massive growth in ticks across the country over the past couple of years is putting you at an increased risk of developing Lyme disease, among other diseases. Lyme disease is an infection transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.
There have been over 17,000 reported cases of Lyme Disease across Canada between 2009 and 2022, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. There were 1,707 cases in Ontario alone in 2021 with 87 hospitalizations.
Outdoor workers need to also protect themselves from ticks. Especially those who work in wooded or bushy areas, or an area with high grass. The hazard remains in the spring, summer, and fall.
Employers have the duty to protect employees from workplace hazards.
"Employers need to educate employees on how to protect themselves, symptoms to watch out for, and how to properly remove a tick from the skin”, says Michelle Ann Zoleta, Health & Safety Manager, at Peninsula Canada.
It’s important to first conduct a risk assessment of the area and then take the following preventative steps.
- Wear light-coloured clothes to help find ticks more easily.
- Wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, and boots.
- Use insect repellent.
- Immediately after outdoor work do a full body check for ticks.
- Shower soon to wash off a tick that may not be attached through a bite.
- Put clothes in the dryer for one hour on high heat to kill any ticks.
Early symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and an expanding red rash.
