Tick Awareness

Yes. Under Section 124 of the Canada Labour Code Part II, employers have a fundamental duty to protect workers from all workplace hazards - including biological hazards like tick-borne pathogens. Employers operating in outdoor environments must include tick risks in their written hazard assessments and provide engineering controls, PPE, and safe work procedures. Ontario's Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025 (Bill 30) has strengthened enforcement by allowing the Ministry of Labour to issue Administrative Monetary Penalties directly to employers and supervisors for failing to address known biological hazards - without requiring a court proceeding.

Four main tick species are established across Canadian provinces. The Blacklegged tick (Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia) is the primary vector for Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and Powassan virus. The Western Blacklegged tick in British Columbia also transmits Lyme disease and Borrelia miyamotoi. The American Dog tick (Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan) carries Tularemia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The Lone Star tick - now present in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta - transmits Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia but does NOT carry Lyme disease, meaning a worker with Lyme-like symptoms after a Lone Star bite needs a different diagnosis. Blacklegged ticks are expanding their range northward at 35–55 kilometres per year due to climate change.

Under CSA Z1220-24, the approved method requires fine-tipped stainless steel tweezers - not fingers or ordinary tweezers - grasping the tick's head as close to the skin as possible and pulling straight up with steady, even pressure. Never twist, jerk, or squeeze the tick's body, as this can cause it to regurgitate stomach contents into the wound and increase infection risk. After removal, clean the bite site with 70% isopropyl alcohol or soap and water, then place the tick in a sealed container with alcohol, labelled with the date, location, and worker's name - if symptoms develop within 30 days, this sample helps physicians make a faster diagnosis. Methods like petroleum jelly, nail polish, or heat sources must never be used, as they delay proper removal and stimulate regurgitation.

Yes - a tick bite that occurs in the course of employment is a reportable incident under the Canada Labour Code Part II and provincial OHS legislation, including Ontario's OHSA and Alberta's OHS Act. The employer must record the event immediately in the hazardous occurrence register, documenting the date, location, work activity, attachment site, estimated duration, symptoms, and actions taken. This documentation is critical for workers' compensation: BC, Ontario, and Alberta workers' compensation boards all recognize occupationally acquired Lyme disease as a compensable condition, but only when a workplace exposure report exists at the time of the incident. Without it, a claim can be denied - significant given that 36% of Lyme disease patients develop Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) with lasting effects.

Employers must provide tick-protective PPE at no cost to workers under provincial OHS Acts and the Canada Labour Code Part II. The most effective single procedure is the tuck technique: shirts tucked into pants, and pants tucked into socks or pulled over the top of long boots - this forces any questing tick to travel on the outside of clothing where it is visible, rather than crawling directly onto skin. Light-coloured clothing is required so dark-coloured ticks are visible on the fabric. Beyond clothing, employers must provide time for a full-body tick check at the end of every shift, with adequate lighting and privacy, and all workers must be trained on the head-to-toe check sequence during site orientation.