How to protect yourself when you collect
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Most collecting injuries come from five things: rock chips in the eye, falling rock, heat, getting lost or stranded, and old mine workings. Wear safety glasses whenever steel strikes rock, a hard hat under any rock face, and gloves and boots on every trip. Carry water by the gallon: Saguaro National Park advises about a quart per hour of hiking on hot summer days [2], and Mojave National Preserve recommends at least a gallon per person per day, two when hiking in heat [1]. Leave your route and return time with someone, and never enter old mines. This page covers each hazard with the agency guidance behind it and what to do when something goes wrong.
The hazards at a glance
| Hazard | What the source says | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Flying chips | No agency source read for this page gives a figure | Safety glasses or goggles every time anyone near you strikes rock |
| Falling rock | MSHA warns of "unstable rock ledges" at quarries [3] | Hard hat under highwalls and road cuts; never dig beneath an overhang |
| Heat | Avoid "the hours of 10 am - 4 pm" in summer; about 1 quart of water per hour of hiking on hot days [2] | Work early and late; drink on a schedule; rest in shade |
| Dehydration in any season | "In the winter, take at least 2 quarts per day" [2] | Carry water even on cool days |
| Flash floods | Desert monsoon floods "occur during the summer monsoon season (July - September)" in southern Arizona [2] | Leave washes when storms build upstream; never drive a flooded road |
| Snakes | Six rattlesnake species live in Saguaro National Park alone [2] | Look before placing hands and feet; turn rocks toward you so the underside faces away |
| Getting stranded | Mojave warns that cell coverage is sporadic [1] | Written plan at home; offline maps; extra water in the vehicle |
| Old mines | More than 200 deaths at mines since 1999, counted by MSHA in 2008 [3] | Stay out of all workings; see old mines, tailings and dumps |
| Toxic minerals | Neoprene gloves for minerals with toxic elements; a respirator when cutting or trimming [4] | Gloves, no dust, wash before eating |
Eyes, hands, head and feet
Eyes
Steel striking rock throws sharp chips at speed, and so does a hardened chisel that has mushroomed at the head. Safety glasses or goggles go on before the first blow, and they stay on while anyone nearby is hammering. If grit gets in an eye, flush it with clean water; do not rub. Get medical help for anything embedded or for pain that does not ease.
Hands
Leather gloves protect against sharp edges and hammer misses. For minerals that contain toxic elements, the National Park Service's guidance is to wear "neoprene gloves when handling minerals that contain potentially toxic elements," and to wash hands afterward [4]. Its list of those elements is aluminum, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, bismuth, bromine, cadmium, lead, mercury, selenium, thallium and uranium [4]. Which minerals carry them is covered on which minerals are dangerous.
Head
Wear a hard hat below any highwall, quarry face, road cut or steep exposure, and below other collectors working upslope. Rock loosens after rain and after freezing and thawing.
Feet
Boots with ankle support and stiff soles for talus, dumps and loose gravel. Shoes with mesh uppers let cactus spines and sharp rock through.
Heat and water
Desert collecting is often done in the cooler months for good reason. The Park Service guidance from two desert units:
- Mojave National Preserve recommends "a minimum of one gallon of water per person, per day," and says hikers should carry "two gallons per person, per day" [1].
- Saguaro National Park advises "drinking 1 quart of water per hour of hiking" on hot, dry summer days, at least 2 quarts per day in winter, and avoiding "the hours of 10 am - 4 pm" in summer heat [2].
Saguaro's page tells hikers to "be prepared to recognize the signs of heat-related illnesses" and to be ready to treat them, and points to the CDC for the details [2]. Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke before a summer trip. Heat stroke is a medical emergency: call 911.
Digging is harder work than hiking. If you are working a pocket in the sun, plan your water by the hour, not by the trip.
Cold, altitude and storms
Mountain collecting has the opposite problems. Mojave's page warns visitors to be ready for "extreme heat in the summer and snow and ice in the winter" [1], and the same is true in most western collecting country. Carry a warm layer and rain shell even in summer, start down when afternoon thunderstorms build, and get off ridges and open slopes when lightning is near.
Snakes, insects and other animals
Saguaro's guidance if a rattlesnake bites: "remain calm and restrain movement (less movement = slower blood flow)," "have someone contact 911," and "elevate the bite and get to a doctor as soon as possible" [2].
Collectors meet snakes more often than hikers, because rocks are where snakes shelter. Look before you reach into a crack or under a ledge, and lift rocks so that the open side faces away from you.
Saguaro also warns about Africanized bees: if attacked, keep running, since bees usually give up a quarter to half a mile from the hive [2].
Remote travel and getting found
- Leave a written plan with "your trip route, destination, and return date, vehicle make and license plate," as Mojave National Preserve advises [1], and a time to call for help.
- Download offline maps and carry a paper map.
- Carry extra water and food in the vehicle.
- Check the vehicle: spare tire, jack, and enough fuel to get back with a margin.
- "Do not try to cross a flooded road in your vehicle under any circumstances" [2].
- In an emergency, call 911. A satellite messenger or a phone with satellite text is worth carrying where coverage is poor.
Old mines and dumps
Do not enter abandoned mine workings. MSHA's Stay Out, Stay Alive campaign counted more than 200 deaths at mines and mine properties since 1999, as of its 2008 release [3]. Dumps can be collected with care and permission; old mines, tailings and dumps covers both.
Hazardous minerals in the field
A few minerals are hazardous to handle, break or breathe: arsenic, mercury and lead minerals, asbestiform minerals, and radioactive minerals. In the field the precautions are gloves, keeping dust down, separate labeled bags, and washing before you eat or drink. COG 11/11 adds that inhaling mineral dust may be a greater concern than handling the specimen [4]. The full lists and handling rules are on which minerals are dangerous. Cutting and grinding stone raises silica dust, covered on silica dust from cutting, grinding and tumbling.
First aid to carry
Bandages and gauze, tape, tweezers, eye wash, blister care, an elastic bandage for sprains, and any medications you or your group need. Know where the nearest hospital is before you leave cell coverage, and who in your group has first-aid training.
Before a trip into an old mining district
Care and planning handle heat and snakes; they do nothing for a rotten timber over a shaft you cannot see. Before your next trip into an old mining district, read old mines, tailings and dumps.
References
- National Park Service, Mojave National Preserve, *Safety* (last updated February 19, 2025). https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/safety.htm
- National Park Service, Saguaro National Park, *Hiking Safety Information* (last updated May 6, 2025). https://home.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/hiking-safety-information.htm
- Occupational Health and Safety, *MSHA to Public: 'Stay Out and Stay Alive'*, May 13, 2008 (reporting the Mine Safety and Health Administration's release). https://ohsonline.com/articles/2008/05/msha-to-public-stay-out-and-stay-alive.aspx
- McDonald, Greg, *Health and Safety Issues with Geological Specimens*, Conserve O Gram 11/11, National Park Service, September 2006. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/museums/upload/11-11_508.pdf
