The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) webpage has extensive information on protecting outdoor workers from tick-borne disease.

Workers who spend some or all of their workday outdoors in tick habitat should be reminded to take precautions against ticks and the diseases they carry, including:

• Use an EPA-registered repellent and/or wear permethrin-treated clothing
• Wear closed shoes or boots, long pants tucked into socks, and a long-sleeved shirt tucked into pants
• Stay on paths and out of tall grass and brush whenever possible; it may be useful to clear brush and grass or cut vegetation back from paths in areas employees will access frequently
• Check for ticks on clothing, and flick them off; at the end of each day, check the entire body for ticks, including the scalp and behind ears
• Know how to safely remove a tick; stock first aid kits with the supplies necessary for proper tick removal
• Be aware for the signs of tick-borne illness

How We Can Help

The District laboratory provides tick identification, but does NOT test resident-submitted ticks for tick-borne pathogens. Ticks found on a person or pet can be submitted to the San Mateo County Public Health Laboratory for disease testing.

Page last reviewed: June 10, 2021