Venomous Spiders
Venomous spiders found in the United States include the black widow and the brown recluse. These spiders can be dangerous to construction workers. These spiders occasionally find their way inside structures or buildings and can also present a risk to indoor workers.
Top - Male Black Widow
Bottom - Brown Recluse.
Bottom - Brown Recluse.
- Black Widow: Black widow spiders are found throughout North America, but are most common in the southern and western areas of the United States. They are identified by a red-colored hourglass mark on the underside (females) or on top (males). Only females are poisonous, injecting a potent neurotoxic venom that is 15 times more potent than that of the rattlesnake. Though venomous, the quantity of poison is so minute that death is rare, though the bite is painful.
- Brown Recluse: The brown recluse spider, also known as the violin spider, is most commonly found in the Midwestern and Southern states. It is brown in color with a characteristic dark violin-shaped (or fiddle-shaped) marking on its head and has six equal-sized eyes (most spiders have eight eyes). Sometimes a bite from a brown recluse spider can go unnoticed, or maybe feel as slight as a pinprick. Usually, after 2 - 8 hours, there is ensuing severe pain, erythema, and localized tissue necrosis (death) due to the venom's proteolytic enzymes. More information.
Workers can take the following steps to prevent being bitten by venomous spiders:
- Inspect or shake out any clothing, shoes, towels, or equipment before use.
- Wear protective clothing such as a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, hat, gloves, and boots when handling stacked or undisturbed piles of materials.
- Minimize the empty spaces between stacked materials.
- Remove and reduce debris and rubble from around the outdoor work areas.
- Trim or eliminate tall grasses from around outdoor work areas.
- Store apparel and outdoor equipment in tightly closed plastic bags.
- Keep your tetanus boosters up-to-date (every 10 years). Spider bites can become infected with tetanus spores.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-7. Which spider bite may cause severe pain and localized tissue necrosis (death)?
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