The Importance of Tick Safety for Outdoor Utility Workers

Global Lyme Alliance recently spoke at the New York State Public Utilities (NYSPU) Safety Directors Meeting about tick safety and Lyme disease.

Outdoor utility workers are exposed to a wide variety of dangerous workplace conditions each day. But there’s one threat they might not consider: exposure to Lyme disease through the bite of a tick. If left untreated, Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses can lead to severe joint pain, chronic neurological problems and multi-organ illness that can persist for years.

To help companies learn more about how to protect workers from Lyme disease, Dr. Mayla Hsu, Ph.D., GLA’s Director of Research and Science, spoke at the New York State Public Utilities Safety Directors Association’s Spring meeting, which was held in Saratoga Springs, NY on April 27.

About 40 safety professionals representing gas, electric, steam, telecommunications, water and sewer utilities with operations throughout New York State attended Dr. Hsu’s talk. “The information we received was invaluable,” said Sean Mahoney, Con Edison’s Operations Environmental Health and Safety Manager, who invited Dr. Hsu and GLA Board member Derin Edip Walden to the event. “The message about Lyme risks needs to be spread for greater understanding of the problem.”

Learn more about this year's surge in ticks and Lyme disease symptoms.