This is about Health & Safety…DON’T LOOK AWAY…

Anyone surveying in the countryside this summer, will have been aware of the risk of tick bites and associated tick-borne diseases.

Arboriculturists and ecologists and others working in nature, across the UK are wading through bracken and beating a path through scrub to gather essential information on trees and other important features.

Climate change is creating warmer, wetter conditions across the UK, resulting in broader and longer tick activity. Studies show ticks are expanding their range, with one modelling study predicting a nearly 99% increase in tick prevalence in Scotland by 2080 under high-warming scenarios.

Since 2012, the UK’s Tick Surveillance Scheme has recorded a steady rise in sightings of the sheep tick / deer tick (Ixodes ricinus), with newly reported areas each year.

Today, the UK is home to over 20 tick species, most harmless—but several present serious health risks. The sheep tick remains the primary vector for diseases such as Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). In recent years, TBE—formerly rare in the UK—has emerged locally, with confirmed cases and the virus detected in ticks across areas including Hampshire, the New Forest, and the North York Moors.

Other pathogens of concern in the UK include Rickettsia species, including those linked to rickettsiosis.

On any day we may have 20 people capturing essential tree information in fields and hedgerows to inform the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSiP) process for solar farms or the planning process for housing developments or assessing ancient trees in historic landscapes.

Our risk assessment and management must be purposeful and have effective.

The purpose is to ensure that NO ONE has their health adversely effected by the work that we do.

That’s why our health and safety framework includes:

• Training on tick awareness and prevention
• Regular team review of hazards, scenarios and controls
• Comprehensive risk assessment
• Central database of risk assessments and feedback which informs regular review
• Effective control measures

What are your experiences controlling for tick-related risks?