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What to do if you find a tick on your skin? GO TO NEXT SLIDE

1 Minute 4 Safety

What is a tick? �A tick is a tiny, blood-consuming arachnid that is closely related to mites and spiders. As external parasites, they thrive by latching onto the skin of hosts like birds, mammals, or reptiles.

Avoid Tick Bites While Working at the Lab

How to prevent tick bites at the Lab:

If you work on a regular basis in outdoor areas that are wooded, brushy or grassy, tick bite prevention should be integrated into your work planning - you may consider wearing tyvek suits or booties when working in these areas. Also, if you notice overgrown vegetation close to any Lab walkways, please submit a Work Request or contact your Facilities Area Manager or Building Manager.

Where are ticks found?

Ticks are found outdoors in shady, damp, brushy, wooded, and grassy areas. They live on the ground, climbing up tall grass, shrubs, and other vegetation to wait with outstretched front legs for a host to brush past. Ticks don’t fly or jump.

During the first six months of 2026, two Berkeley Lab employees reported having been bitten by ticks while working at the Lab’s Main Site. One case involved an employee conducting an inspection while walking through tall grass. The other occurred while an employee was walking on a Lab walkway.

Environment, Health & Safety

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1 Minute 4 Safety

If you find a tick on your skin:�

  • If possible, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your body as possible. Pull the tick straight out with gentle and steady force. You want to be sure to pull out the tick’s full body, including the head.
  • Never twist it, squeeze its body or crush the head, or use substances such as petroleum jelly, a flame, nail polish, nail polish remover to remove it.
  • Contact Health Services at 510-486-6266 if the bite occurred at work or if you would like to consult with them.
  • Lyme and other tick-related diseases are extremely rare when the tick is embedded less than 24 hours, but you can consult with a health professional anytime you have a concern.
  • Seek medical attention if you develop a rash, fever or other symptoms after a tick bite.

Avoid Tick Bites While Working at the Lab

How to remove a tick using tweezers�(Illustration courtesy of the CDC)

Environment, Health & Safety