Jobsites

Whether you’re constructing buildings or drilling an oil well, at a fire camp or on any other worksite, the way you and your employees or coworkers operate in bear country can have an impact on personal safety as well as the local bear population.

If a bear finds and accesses food at a jobsite, it will quickly learn that humans are a source of easy, high calorie meals, and will seek out and hang around human-inhabited areas. Not only does this create a dangerous situation for people, but it usually leads to the bear being euthanized.

Each site will be unique, which will influence the ability to apply certain conflict prevention methods. For larger worksites, it may be useful to conduct a conflict assessment to identify potential causes of human-bear conflict. From the assessment, create a management plan that outlines how to keep employees and bears safe. It may also be useful to hire or designate one person to be an on-site bear safety officer—someone who is knowledgeable in avoiding and responding to human-bear conflicts.

For situations where employees are staying in tents or are doing backcountry work, refer to our Recreate section for more bear safety information.

Read on to learn about what draws bears to jobsites, how to prevent and deter bears from hanging around sites, and what to do if a bear is in the area.

Why Bears Visit Jobsites: What Are Attractants?

Bears follow their noses and are in constant search of food. Jobsites are full of smells that a bear may think are food, which can draw them to the site. These are called “attractants.” The sources of these smells may offer no nutritional value, but a bear will still investigate.

Here are some bear attractants that may be present at a jobsite:

  • Food and empty food containers and wrappers

  • Drinks and empty drink containers, except plain water

  • Garbage and garbage cans

  • Coolers

  • Cookstoves and fuel

  • Cookware and utensils

  • Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other chemicals

  • Petroleum products (e.g., oil, gas, kerosene, diesel, lubricants, propane, etc.)

  • Vehicle fluids (e.g., anti-freeze, coolant, transmission fluid, etc.)

  • Biodiesel

  • Paint, stain, and varnishes

  • First aid supplies

  • Sunscreen and bug spray

These are some of the most common bear attractants that may be at a jobsite, but there are many others. Check out our Bear Attractants Guide to see what other things can draw bears to an area.

Keeping Bears Away from Jobsites: Securing Garbage, Gear, and Sites

There are several ways to prevent bears from accessing attractants and keep them moving. Use the dropdown menus to explore some of the main options applicable to jobsites.

At the end of each workday, do a final check of the site and remove or secure anything that could attract bears. Before leaving the site, lock all buildings (including windows) and all vehicles left on site.

  • There are a variety of bear-resistant containers that can be used at jobsites for waste, food, and other attractants.

    Food can be stored in bear-resistant coolers. Remember that bear-resistant coolers are only bear-resistant if they are locked; locks are sold separately.

    Bear-resistant garbage cans and dumpsters have locking lids and are made of durable materials to keep bears out. Bear-resistant garbage cans typically used for residential waste are a good option as they’re easily transportable, while bear-resistant dumpsters offer more space for waste.

    (If using residential bear-resistant cans, the best practice is to put them in a locked, hard-sided building or bear-resistant enclosure at the end of each day. These cans are bear “resistant,” not bear “proof.” If given enough time, a motivated bear can get into a locked can.)

    If a waste hauler is carrying away garbage from the jobsite, coordinate with them to determine if they offer bear-resistant containers, or, if you need to provide your own, which bear-resistant containers are compatible with their trucks. If your site is self-hauling, pick whichever bear-resistant products work best for you.

    If your jobsite includes more long-lasting infrastructure, you can consider adding metal bear-resistant storage containers and garbage cans like those from BearSaver or Bear Guardian. These containers should be bolted to a hard surface, like a concrete pad, so bears cannot tip them over.

    Products should be tested and certified as bear-resistant by an independent group, like the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee or the Wildlife Management Institute. These certifications are the easiest way to determine if a product is bear-resistant. Read more about available products on our Bear-Resistant Products page.

    Make sure bear-resistant containers are always locked and aren’t overfilled. Provide training and include signage so people know how to properly use and lock containers.

  • As an alternative to bear-resistant containers, enclosures can be a good option for storing garbage cans or other bear attractants.

    On a basic level, a locked shed or hard-sided building (meaning tents don’t work) can serve as an enclosure. If you’re looking to build something specific, or want to determine if an enclosure is bear-resistant, keep these design elements in mind:

    • Enclosures should be constructed of durable, long-lasting materials, like metal or cement blocks, that bears can’t bite or claw their way through. Bears will search for gaps in a structure and use their claws to try to rip a larger hole.

    • Enclosures need to be closed on all sides—they need to have a door and a top. If an enclosure does not have a top, electrified wire should be added around the enclosure.

    • Ensure bears cannot dig under, squeeze under, or tip over enclosures (e.g., bolt enclosures to a concrete pad).

    • For doors or gates, ensure there is a latch or lock mechanism that cannot be opened by a bear (e.g., reached by a bear’s claws).

    There are some certified bear-resistant enclosures available for purchase. Learn more on our Bear-Resistant Products page.

    Electric fencing can also be used to enclose many bear attractants. Read more below.

  • Electric fencing is versatile and can be used to surround attractants (like stashes of food or garbage cans), certain areas of a camp (like a kitchen area), or entire sites.

    Electric fencing can be put up temporarily. Pick posts (like fiberglass step-in posts) and wire (like polywire) that can be taken down easily. For smaller areas, consider electric net fencing kits offered from some retailers.

    If there are buildings on site, electrified “unwelcome” mats can be useful, too. These mats give a bear a shock when they step on it, creating a negative experience so the bear won’t come back. They can be placed in front of doors, windows, stairs, and other access points into houses, sheds, and other buildings. You can build your own mat (instructions are easy to find online) or buy a mat from companies like Bear-ier Solutions or Bear Busters.

  • As a last resort, if no other bear-resistant options are available (including containers, hard-sided buildings, or electric fencing), attractants may be able to be stored in locked vehicles with closed windows.

    Before choosing to store attractants in a vehicle, ask wildlife managers in your area if this is a safe practice; some areas have bears that know how to get into vehicles, even if they are locked.

Even if attractants are secured, there may still be smells that a bear will want to investigate. Sometimes, additional deterrents are needed to keep bears away from sites. Below are some options.

  • Scare devices are audible or visual deterrents that can scare bears away from an attractant. Some scare devices, like radios, mimic human presence, making a bear think someone is in the area, encouraging them to move along. They can work well to keep bears away from sites when people have left at the end of the day or areas with less activity.

    Scare devices are best used short-term. You can use them as you work to find a long-term solution to secure or remove attractants, or as an addition to a site once attractants are already secured. After a while, a bear will learn that the device poses no actual risk, and they’ll ignore it. Devices that have more randomizations built in and are less predictable can be effective for longer periods of time.

    Here are a few types of scare devices that can deter bears:

    Some noisemakers, like airhorns, are especially useful to use before entering a jobsite to encourage any bears in the area to move along.

  • Some breeds of dogs, like Karelian bear dogs (KBDs), can be trained to deter bears in a controlled manner.

    Trained KBDs shepherd bears by barking and chasing them from areas where they would come into conflict with people. The shepherding is combined with other aversive conditioning tools such as yelling, throwing stones, bear spray, and rubber bullets. This work should only be conducted by trained professionals, like those at the Wind River Bear Institute.

Bear Encounter Basics

When working in bear country, prevent encounters:

  • Stay alert and be aware of what’s around you.

  • Make noise and work in groups, if possible, especially in places with low visibility.

  • Keep a lookout for bear sign including tracks or scat. Also pay attention to foul odors or scavenger birds that indicate carcasses that will attract bears.

  • Use extra caution when outside at dusk, dawn, or at night when bears are more active.

Make sure all employees know what to do if they encounter a bear. Read more on our Encounters page. All bear sightings and encounters should be reported to a supervisor.

If appropriate, all employees should carry bear spray and know how to use it.

More Resources