Get Bear Smart at Work

If you work in bear country, your safety and livelihood, as well as the health of local bear populations, depends on how you operate.

In this menu section, we provide bear safety information relevant to different sectors. You’ll find information for jobsites (including industrial and construction sites and other work camps), restaurants and commercial businesses, agricultural producers (farms, ranches, and orchards), and beekeepers.

Regardless of where you work, here are some basics to keep everyone safe:

• Secure all potential bear attractants (things like garbage, food, livestock, fruit trees, fryer oil or grease, or petroleum products, which can draw bears to an area) in hard-sided, locked buildings; bear-resistant containers; or bear-resistant enclosures. Attractants will vary depending on where you work, and so will the options you have for preventing bears from accessing them.

• Train all employees and contractors on how to behave in bear country. Ensure everyone knows how to properly store attractants and avoid bear encounters.

• Know what to do if a bear is in the area. Have clear systems in place to report bear sightings or encounters to managers or wildlife officials. For some workplaces, it may make sense to designate one person as an on-site bear safety officer. This person should be well-trained in how to avoid and address human-bear conflicts.