Snake Safety: Immediate First Aid Tips When Bitten By a Venomous Snake

If someone you know is bitten by a snake, they need immediate first aid treatment. Unfortunately, many people are still not familiar enough with snakes to tell venomous snakes apart from non-venomous snakes. This is why all snake bites should be treated as venomous bites.

Immediate First Aid Tips for Venomous Snake Bites

Step 1. Have the person lie down and stay calm, call 000, then examine the snake bite. If the bite looks dry (a dry bite) and no venom can be seen from the wound, then the only symptoms will be localised pain, swelling and redness. Venomous snake bites will include symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, stinging and burning sensations around the skin of the wound, and nausea, to name a few readily identifiable symptoms. Severe snake bites can result in paralysis and even cause a person to go into a coma.

Step 2. Things not to do. Despite what many people may believe, snake venom does not spread through the blood system; it is carried in the lymphatic system. Which is why you should not do the following:

• Don’t move a person bitten by a snake unless there is an immediate danger.
• Don’t try and suck venom from a snake bite.
• Don’t try and cut venom out of a snake bite.
• Don’t wash a snake bite.
• Don’t attempt to catch the snake to identify it.

Step 3. Things you should do to reduce lymphatic flow. You can do this by applying continuous pressure over the limb that has the bite, also known as the Pressure Immobilisation Technique (PIT). To do this, use a broad elastic bandage with a minimum width of 7.5cm. Start at the toes or fingers of the limb with the bite, but leave the tips of the toes and fingers out to monitor circulation. Compression bandages should cover the whole limb firmly enough to limit lymphatic movement, without restricting blood flow.

Step 4. Make a splint or sling to prevent movement of the limb. For snake bites to the leg, you can strap the legs together as a natural splint, or you can make a splint to limit lymphatic movement in the arms.

Step 5. Mark the snake bite. After covering the limb that was bitten, use a marker or pen to mark the snake bite so that emergency medical personnel can easily locate it when they arrive.

Step 6. Keep the person comfortable. Keep them still and calm by reassuring them that emergency services are on the way.

Want your team to practise these steps hands-on? Our workplace snake safety training includes practical snakebite first aid and pressure immobilisation bandaging.

At Black Snake Productions, we also offer snake removal, snake and spider safety seminars, and snake handling courses. Our blog contains helpful information about wildlife education and safety, with the goal of helping to educate people about conservation and about Australia’s animals and their habitats.