Why Workplace Snake Encounters Are So Dangerous

A Safety Warning for NSW Businesses and Worksites

A recent fatal snakebite at a Queensland childcare centre has highlighted a serious but often overlooked workplace risk: untrained people attempting to deal with snakes found on business premises.

The incident involved a man who was bitten multiple times while trying to remove a juvenile Eastern Brown Snake from a childcare facility. Despite first aid and medical treatment, he later died after suffering cardiac arrest.

This tragedy reinforces a critical message for businesses across New South Wales: snake encounters in workplaces must always be handled by licensed professionals, not staff or bystanders.

The Hidden Risk of Snakes in the Workplace

When a snake appears on business premises, there is often pressure to deal with it quickly so operations can continue. In many cases, someone who has “handled snakes before” or is considered good with animals is asked to remove it.

This is where serious incidents occur.

Snakes inside buildings feel trapped and threatened. Their stress level is high, escape routes are limited, and defensive behaviour increases dramatically. Even experienced handlers recognise that indoor captures carry a higher bite risk.

Without proper equipment and training, attempts to capture or move a snake frequently result in bites.

Why Untrained Handling Leads to Workplace Injury

Workplace snake incidents escalate quickly because:

• confined indoor environments increase defensive strikes
• untrained people lack proper capture tools
• species are often misidentified
• brown snakes are common around buildings in NSW
• bystanders create pressure and distraction
• incorrect restraint techniques are used
• first aid may be delayed or ineffective

Even non venomous snakes can inflict serious bites. Misidentifying a brown snake can be fatal.

Legal and Liability Risk for Businesses

If a worker or contractor is injured while attempting to remove a snake, the business may face:

• workers compensation claims
• medical and rehabilitation costs
• lost productivity
• WHS investigation
• negligence exposure
• public liability claims

Under NSW workplace safety law, employers must eliminate or minimise risks wherever reasonably practicable. Wildlife hazards on commercial premises fall within this duty of care.

Legal guidance following recent incidents emphasises that businesses must have procedures in place to manage hazards and must engage qualified professionals for specialised risks such as snakes.

Even informal arrangements, such as asking someone on site to help remove it, can expose a company to liability.

Best Practice for Snake Encounters at Worksites

Every workplace in snake prone areas should have a clear wildlife response protocol.

Do not attempt to handle the snake
No staff member should approach or touch any snake.

Keep people away
Evacuate and isolate the area immediately.

Maintain safe visual contact if possible
This prevents the snake relocating deeper into the building.

Call a licensed snake catcher
Professional removal ensures safe capture and lawful relocation.

Train staff in response procedures
Employees should know exactly who to call and what to do.

Professional Workplace Snake Removal in Sydney

Urban Reptile Removal provides licensed snake removal for commercial premises, construction sites, schools, strata properties, and workplaces across Greater Sydney.

Professional snake catchers use specialised equipment, training, and risk assessment to remove snakes safely while protecting staff and the public.

A Critical Safety Message for Employers

The death of a man attempting to remove a snake from a workplace is a sobering reminder that even well-intentioned people with some knowledge can be fatally injured.

Snakes in workplaces are not a pest control issue or a staff task. They are a specialised wildlife hazard requiring licensed professionals.

The safest response is simple:

Keep people away. Secure the area. Call Urban Reptile Removal.

Workplace Snake Emergency Sydney

Urban Reptile Removal
Licensed Snake Catchers NSW
Commercial and Workplace Snake Removal
0418 633 474