As if weekly – sometimes daily – rattlesnake encounters weren't bad enough for Safford operations this past summer, the site got an extra share of scare when a large den of rattlers was found near a mobile-equipment maintenance area where many employees work throughout the day and night.
While rattlesnake – and other animal – encounters are a common occurrence at North America sites, none of them reported the volume Safford experienced this summer.
“Over about a two-month period, more than 100 snakes were captured all over site,” said Chance Norton, Health and Safety Technician II. “That’s as many as we normally see in a whole year.”
The slithering swarm, likely escaping extreme heat and noise from nearby construction, represented the end of the exception spectrum for environmental policy addressing snakes. Safford already repeatedly had ventured into that zone over the summer as snake after snake sought refuge in active work areas. However, contrary to logical assumptions, Environmental Services was not the resident “snake marshal” when policy exceptions called for action.
“Our (environmental) policy prohibits disturbing snakes that are just moving through the site, but there’s some flexibility when they present an ongoing hazard to people or themselves,” said Mike Windsor, Manager Environmental-Safford. “Our group doesn’t respond to snake emergencies, but Safford’s Rescue Team does.”
A specific set of skills
Specially trained to safely capture and relocate snakes that get too close to active operations, the Rescue Team first got involved in snake management in 2007 when Safford was being developed for its latest era of surface mining.
“Crews doing some early ground prep unearthed an old septic tank that was full of snakes,” said Dora Bleak, Senior Supervisor Health and Safety-Safford. “Certain species are protected and cannot be harmed, so they had to be careful about dealing with them.”
The Safford Rescue Team, which is equipped with first aid supplies and skills for treating snake bites, was the obvious choice for managing snakes. In the years since it took on the task, the team has gained enough expertise to train other employees in snake control, much like Sierrita operations does in partnership with the Green Valley Fire District.
Using special, long-handled tools and leg protectors, the snake wranglers safely and gently capture wayward snakes – as well as Gila monsters – and release them elsewhere on the Safford property far from work areas and people. However, for a whole den of rattlesnakes, another level of expertise is needed. This is when an outside service is brought in, Bleak said.
Employees who encounter a snake on company property are advised to not interact with it. Instead, they should call the site’s security team.