usually a vine; poison oak, usually a bush. In theflowering season, both types produce clusters ofsmall white berries.Different varieties of poisonous sumac leavesare shown in figure 12-30. There are poisonoussumacs and harmless sumacs, and it is difficultto distinguish the leaf of one from the leaf of theother. The only way to tell the poisonous plantfrom the harmless one is by the fruit. Both plantsproduce a drooping fruit cluster. The differencelies in the color of their fruits—that of theharmless sumac is RED; that of the poison sumacis WHITE. In other than the fruit season, it wouldbe better to avoid contact with all sumacs.There are no “do-it-yourself” remedies forplant poisoning; treatment must be by, or asdirected by, professional medical personnel. How-ever, if you have reason to believe that you havebeen infected, you should wash thoroughly withwater and an alkaline laundry soap. Do not usean oily soap (most facial soaps are oily) becausethis will tend to spread the juice. Lather profusely,and do not rinse the lather off, but allow it to dryon the skin. Repeat this procedure every 3 to 4hours, allowing the lather to dry each time.If job conditions make contact with plantsunavoidable, wear gloves and long sleeve shirtsand keep all other skin areas covered. When youremove your clothing, take care not to allow anyskin area to come into contact with exposedclothing. Launder all clothing at once.USING FIELD EQUIPMENT SAFELYThe standard source of information on the safeuse of dangerous field equipment and other safetyprecautions is Safety Precautions for Shore Activi-ties, NAVMAT P-5100. A copy of this publica-tion should be available in your technical library.Since tools are a potential source of dangerin all occupations, they should be inspectedperiodically to find out whether any repairs orreplacements are needed. Only tools in goodcondition should be used. There should be noloose heads on any hand tools. Sharp-edged toolsshould be kept sharp. All tools should be storedsafely when not being used.If tools with sharp blades or points are laiddown on the job temporarily, they should beplaced in such a way that no injury can result toanyone. Sheaths or guards are desirable whensharp-edged or pointed tools are being carriedfrom one place to another. If sheaths are notavailable, carry a tool with the sharp edge or pointFigure 12-30.-Varieties of sumac leaves.12-30
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