Field safety basics every rockhound should actually know

A short list of habits prevents most of the injuries that happen in this hobby. Always wear eye protection when hammering or chiseling rock, chips travel farther and in stranger directions than people expect. Sturdy footwear and gloves matter more on uneven, rocky ground than most people assume until they twist an ankle. Tell someone where you are going and roughly when you expect to be back if you are heading somewhere remote, cell service is not guaranteed in a lot of good collecting country. Carry more water than you think you need in desert environments, and check the weather before entering washes or slot canyons, flash flooding is a real and fast moving hazard in dry country even when it is not raining where you are standing. Be aware of wildlife, snakes in particular favor sun warmed rocky terrain in many regions. Never enter old abandoned mine shafts or tunnels, they are frequently unstable, can have bad air, and old timbers fail without warning, the material inside is never worth the risk.