welcome i'm paul winger president
California Farm Bureau Federation and a
licensed pesticide applicator the Farm
Bureau in partnership with State
Compensation insurance fund strives to
keep agricultural workers safe from any
kind of harm while performing their job
this program provides an overview to
general safety guidelines for the
preparation handling and management of
pesticide application please take the
time to view this program and protect
Agriculture's most important resource
you
when you hear the word past you would
usually think of insects but pests and
agriculture also include fungus weeds
and even bacteria although they come in
different forms their presence means one
thing the consumption and destruction of
healthy crops pesticides are used to
prevent the overpopulation of unwanted
pests in order to make sure that crops
are as plentiful and healthy as possible
for the consumer market although there
are several benefits to using pesticides
they can also be very dangerous if not
handled properly then this safety
program you will learn to use pesticides
safely and how to manage hazardous
situations
you
it is important to start your day ready
to work make sure you get at least eight
hours of sleep and have a balanced meal
this can prevent the tea can help you
focus so that you can end your workday
accident-free participating in mandatory
safety meetings is a great practice to
help refresh yourself on safety
techniques when working with pesticides
and pesticide equipment safety meetings
along with new employee orientation and
refresher training is an important
aspect of your company's injury and
illness prevention program be sure to
ask a supervisor about who is
responsible for your company's safety
programs and procedures
you
because pesticides can easily come into
contact with your skin hair or eyes it
is important to wear the proper personal
protective equipment first identify the
type of pesticide you'll be working with
you can do this by reading the label on
the pesticide container or the material
safety data sheet remember the different
pesticides can require specific PPE you
can also identify the hazard level of
the chemical by finding the signal word
on the container common signal words you
will come across are caution which is
the least hazardous warning and refers
to moderately toxic danger which means
the chemical is extremely hazardous to
the eyes and skin and poison which has
maximum toxicity no matter what toxic
levels you're working with you are
required to wear at minimum eye
protection rubber gloves long sleeve
shirt long pants and boots
always keep your pant legs on the
outside of your boots if you're working
with pesticides above shoulder level
wear your gloves on the outside of your
sleeves if you're working below shoulder
level wear them under your sleeves as a
precaution
you can always tape the gloves and
sleeves together
you
it is always a good practice to conduct
routine expections of your equipment if
applicable
conduct the proper preventative
maintenance repairs on your tractor or
sprayer if your equipment needs further
attention alert your supervisor
after pesticides have been applied in
the field it is prohibited to enter the
field for a minimum four hours this is
referred to as a restricted entry
interval or REI if it is absolutely
necessary to enter the field within four
hours of a pesticide application the
employee must be notified of the
pesticide used how long the REI is the
symptoms of exposure
what PPE is required how to prevent
illness and why you need to wash when
you leave the area where a spring has
occurred refer to the MSDS for answers
to these questions
you
when working with pesticides not only do
you have to protect yourself but your
surrounding environment by doing this
you can prevent harm to other workers
agricultural animals and Wildlife this
is done by effectively storing your
pesticides when storing you must post
signs stating pesticide storage and
level of hazard if stored in a truck or
trailer the side racks must be at least
6 feet above the ground and lockable if
possible you should keep pesticides in
their original containers but if for any
reason you have to transfer pesticides
to new containers make sure you properly
label the new containers or spray unit
with its contents when cleaning
pesticide containers make sure you
follow these steps first you should wear
the proper PPE according to the MSDS or
labels before any cleaning then use the
triple rinse technique triple rinsing
entails filling the container 1/4 full
with water shaking it and pouring all of
the rinse water into the mix tank repeat
this process at least two more times
if your equipment consists of a rinsing
unit wear PPE put the opening of the
container over the nozzle of the Machine
so that the liquid will drain into the
tank turn on the nozzle and rinse it
until it's clean
you
when mixing and loading pesticides you
must be prepared for a potential spill
you can start by wearing the proper PPE
you also want to be sure that you have
the proper measuring devices never use
household measuring devices such as
water bottles soda cans or kitchen
utensils these can be easily confused
for everyday conception and increases
the risk of exposure pesticides come in
different types of chemical containers
made of metal plastic and dissolvable
bags to properly mix and load pesticides
there are a few guidelines you need to
follow first make sure you are pouring
the chemicals below eye level you'll
need to stand upwind to prevent any
drift it would be ideal to work in a
well-lit area if you are using any
agitators be aware of any splashing when
using wettable powders add the wettable
powder first and then the water a closed
mixing system is used in lieu of hand
mixing pesticides you must use the
closed mixing system if you are using
liquid pesticides with the word danger
on the label or if you mix any minimal
exposure pesticide consult the MSDS for
PPE information when it comes time to
store or dispense up the pesticide
containers you must trip will rinse the
container and then properly dispose
recycle or return the container to the
supplier if the container is not empty
it must be properly stored in a closed
or secured facility
you