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Spider Bites
If a person is bitten, and the bite is suspicious for a black widow or brown recluse spider bite, have the person go to an urgent care center as they may need antibiotic care (especially if the size affected is large). Be suspicious if the person complains of numbness or tingling near the bite. There is often a central spot which may be white surrounded by a red, edematous area (an area of excess fluid or dropsy).
Fire Ant Bites
If someone is bitten by fire ants, the bite should first be cleansed with alcohol or vinegar before washing with soap and water. Using soap and water first seems to make the “sting” much worse. Again, prevention is better than treatment. Encourage those sleeping in tents or other outside locations to inspect the area for the presence of fire ants and to treat the ground around the tent to discourage ant infestations. Also be sure to completely clean up any spilled food around tents and sleeping areas.
Injury Prevention
Injuries are one of the most common hazards. Individuals should wear sturdy footwear to protect their feet; closed toed shoes, running shoes or work boots are recommended.
Use leather gloves for work or latex or nitrile (double glove if the work is particularly hazardous) disposable gloves for clean-up. Tetanus is a threat for any wounds or cut. Any cut should be cleaned immediately with soap and clean water.
Heat
This will be more of a problem as we move into warmer weather. Heat-related illness can include heat stroke and sunburn, and skin cancer and eye cataracts are linked to overexposure to UV rays of the sun. Use a sun block with at least a 15 SPF or higher rating. Drink plenty of water, about 1 cup every 15 minutes; wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Avoid caffeinated drinks, heavy meals and alcohol.
Athletic drinks that are designed to keep electrolytes balanced are helpful in cases where a great deal of one’s body liquid has been lost through sweating.
Fungi and Mold
Be aware of your allergies. Molds can cause mild to severe health problems in sensitive individuals when airborne spores are inhaled. Individuals with allergies or existing respiratory conditions, persons recovering from surgery or long-term steroid treatment, infants, children and the elderly are more susceptible.
Fungi cans cause respiratory and other disorders when inhaled or from skin contact. Fungi can cause allergic responses and asthma attacks. Repeated or prolonged contact with the skin can lead to fungal skin infections. Washing with warm, soapy water and keeping the skin as dry as possible can minimize these.
Wear OSHA approved respirators when cleaning mold and fungi. Consider an N-95 NIOSH-approved disposable respirator as a minimum. CAUTION: Do not mix bleach with cleaning products that contain ammonia.
Hazardous Exposure
The list of household hazardous waste that might be encountered includes: cleaning products, pesticides, automotive products, workshop/painting supplies, lawn and garden products, flammable products and a variety of miscellaneous items. These need to be handled with care and disposed of properly. Do not mix chemicals.
Hand hygiene
Wash hands with soap and clean water before preparing or eating food, after using the toilet, participating in decontamination and other clean-up activities.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are helpful and cleansers may be used if clean water is not available.
Volunteer health information form
This form is provided as a sample and can be used to collect information for both youth and adult volunteers. Please feel free to use or modify as needed. A copy of this record should accompany the group to the volunteer site. The information collected on this form should be treated as confidential and shared only in the case of an emergency and then, on a “need to know” basis.
Precautions concerning medication - particularly those requiring refrigeration should also be taken. Volunteers should be reminded that they may want to be certain to take their own OTC pain relief medication, insect bite preparations and antihistamines, AND, to take only medications that they have taken previously. A volunteer work trip is not the time to experiment with "new" remedies.
The following form may be used or adapted as needed.
Download a sample health information form  |
