Outdoor workers can experience a number of hazards. One often unexpected hazard is a venomous snakebite. Venomous snakes may be encountered in workplaces throughout the United States. The most likely geographic locations where outdoor workers would encounter venomous snakes is in the American South, Southwest, and West. From 2008-2015, the greatest number of deaths from venomous snakebites occurred in the southern and mid-western United States.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has recorded five new public service announcements (PSAs) discussing how to keep workers safe while performing cleanup and recovery operations following hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. The 30-second audio messages, recorded in English and Spanish, cover potential hazards posed by chainsaws, downed power lines, unstable surfaces, contaminated floodwaters, and mold exposure.

The recent destructive barrage of tornadoes in Ohio, Kansas and Pennsylvania that took lives and demolished buildings is a reminder that “tornado season” – the time of year when most tornadoes happen – is far from over. The dangerous vortex of violent, rotating wind that accompanies a storm system occurs most often in the U.S. from April to June, although tornadoes can wreak havoc long before and after that time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on average, over 600 people die from complications related to extreme heat each year in the United States - more than tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, lightning or any other weather event combined. Heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, but it’s important to identify the warning signs and to react swiftly and appropriately when they arise.

Areas recovering from destructive Cyclone Fani will have to endure dangerous temperatures as a heat wave builds across northern and eastern India. The heat already turned deadly with at least three deaths from sunstroke reported in Andhra Pradesh, according to OneIndia.

May is National Electrical Safety Month, and the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) reminds us that disasters bring serious risks for electrically related fatalities, injuries and property loss. To highlight those risks and ways to plan for severe weather events, this year’s campaign theme is “Electrical Safety during Disasters.”

More and more people are using portable generators to make sure they don’t lose power during natural disasters. If not used correctly, however, these useful devices can pose dangers of their own, especially electrocution and carbon monoxide poisoning risks. The CDC says that if water has been present anywhere near electrical circuits and electrical equipment, you should turn off the power at the main breaker or fuse on the service panel.

In the United States, farm workers die from heat-related illness at an annual rate 20 times that of other workers. However, few studies have measured heat conditions at their actual work settings, and research is limited on how accurately regional weather reports reflect worksite temperatures.

Farm workers are at high risk for heat-related illness in hot temperatures, especially during summer crop production. Farming is also physically demanding, further increasing the likelihood of developing heat-related illness. In California, where an estimated 30%-40% of U.S. farm workers are employed, temperatures in the state’s Central Valley – are typically in the 90s in June and July.

What Americans fear most in terms of health and wellness is not necessarily what is currently posing the most danger to them, according to a recent survey by SafeWise. In The State of Safety, a report based on the results of the survey, the independent review site found that falls are the biggest health and wellness concern, while an accidental overdose is way down on the list, coming in at number nine for both men and women.