The normal perception is that rural agricultural workers are most at risk and the
bites occur fi rst thing in the morning and last thing at night. However, this is of very
little practical use to rural workers in preventing snakebite since it ignores the fact that
often snakebites cluster around certain bio-mechanical activities, in certain geographic
areas, at certain times of the day.
• Grass-cutting remains a major situational source of bites.
• In rubber, coconut, palmyra and arecanut plantations clearing the base of the
tree to place manure causes signifi cant numbers of bites.
• Harvesting high growing crops like millet which require attention focused
away from the ground.
• Rubber tapping workers are susceptible and it happens often in the early hours
03:00-06:00.
• Agricultural workers involved in vegetable harvesting / fruit picking.
• Tea and coffee plantation workers face the risk of arboreal and terrestrial vipers
when picking or tending bushes.
• Clearing weeds exposes workers to the same danger as their grass-cutting
colleagues.
• Walking at night without a torch, barefooted or wearing sandals accounts for a
signifi cant number of bites.• Bathing in ponds, streams and rivers, in the evening. It should not be assumed
that because the victim is bitten in water that the species is non-venomous.
Cobras and other venomous species are good swimmers and may enter the
water to hunt.
• Walking along the edge of waterways.
• Plucking fl owers in areas of fl ower cultivation
• Plucking hay / straw from bundle of hay / straw
• Persons involved in picking up dry fi re wood, loose stones, heaps of paddy,
sugar cane or jowar husk.