A coroner has urged all beekeepers to have EpiPens on hand after the death of a honey farm worker in Tasmania from an anaphylactic reaction caused by a bee sting.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Wallace Edgar Bryers, 61, was wearing appropriate protective gear while working for Tasiliquid Gold (TLG) at a property near Carrick in January 2018.
He had finished smoking beehives, blowing boxes and putting boxes on a truck when he removed his hood to adjust his hair.
Witnesses recall hearing Mr Bryers say "bloody bees bloody bees" and saying he had the insects in his suit and was being stung.
Mr Bryers later felt dizzy and sick while travelling in the truck with TLG's owner and members of the owner's family, one of whom called triple zero.
Mr Bryers fell to the ground and lost consciousness after getting out of the truck. He died at the scene despite efforts from the family and paramedics to revive him.
In findings published on Friday, coroner Andrew McKee found TLG did not have an epinephrine injector, commonly referred to as an EpiPen, in the first aid kits in vehicles used in the field.
"I cannot make a precise finding that the administration of adrenaline to Mr Bryers via an EpiPen would have saved his life, but I am satisfied it would have increased his chances of survival if administered within 30 minutes," Mr McKee wrote.
Mr McKee recommended all people who own beehives consider being trained in first aid, in particular the administration of EpiPens.
He also recommend such individuals have EpiPens on hand.
Mr McKee said all TLG first aid kits now contain EpiPens.
Mr Bryers, who moved to Australia from New Zealand in his 20s, was wearing a long-sleeved beekeeping suit with a hood, as well as long gloves, while tending to the hives.
A post-mortem revealed a "suspicious" bee sting which was compatible with an allergic reaction.
The coroner noted Worksafe Tasmania investigated the death and found TLG had fulfilled its duty of care to Mr Bryers by providing personal protective equipment and through instruction, direction and supervision during on-the-job training.
The son of TLG's owner told the inquest Mr Bryers was asked whether he was allergic to bees prior to starting work and said he "definitely was not".
Australian Associated Press
