40,000 cases of lyme disease are documented in the US alone every year and health experts are predicting 2013 to be the worst year for lyme risk ever. Every day, millions of outdoor workers are exposed to insects that not only annoy, but can carry malaria, Lyme disease, dengue fever and other dangerous diseases.

Here are some helpful tick-prevention strategies to keep your outdoor workers protected this summer:

YOUR YARD: Ticks are not out in the middle of your lawn, they live where yards border wooded areas, or anywhere it is shaded and there are leaves with high humidity. Place a layer of wood chips between your grass yard and the woods edge. Ticks are attracted to the wood chips because of the shade and moisture it provides.

TICK CHECKS: Do periodic tick checks and carefully remove any found. (Wear light colored clothing so ticks are easier to find.)

OUTDOOR PURSUITS: When working outdoors try to remain in the center of a trail in order to minimize your exposure. Remember - ticks cannot fly, they crawl up. Avoid sitting directly on the ground, woodpiles or fallen logs - areas where ticks love to live.

PERSONAL PROTECTION: Wear tick repellent clothing. Insect Shield repellent apparel is EPA registered to repel ticks (as well as a variety of other pesky and potentially dangerous insects.) The repellency is odorless, invisible and long-lasting.

The Insect Shield Workplace Safety & Health online store http://www.insectshield.com/shop makes protective clothing and gear items available to workers in at-risk locations across the globe.