Snake Bites - Safety Talk (PDF)

In Australia we have a large variety of snakes, some of which are considered to be highly venomous.
Snakes are cold blooded and are mostly seen in the summer months.

Snake bites are very rare [in Australia] and often the fault of the person themselves most bites occur
when people are trying to kill a snake or show off and, since the development of anti-venom, fatalities
have been low between four to six deaths a year.

Snakes naturally prey on small animals such as mice and rats and do not hunt humans. They will not
bite you unless you provoke them.

Some of the more venomous Australian snakes include:
? Brown Snakes;
? Tiger Snakes;
? Taipans;
? Red Bellied Black Snakes; and
? Death Adders.

Brown Snakes are the deadliest snakes in Australia and are responsible for 24 of the 41 deaths that
have occurred because of snake bites since 1980.

This safety talk will look at:
? some of the more common types of snakes;
? what they look like;
? where they are found;
? how we can best avoid them; and
? the symptoms and treatment of snake bite.