Health, Safety and Environment - International Labour Organization

Manual 4:HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT FACT SHEETSILO Recommendation No. 192 on Safety and Health in Agriculture: Paragraph 7There should be sound management of chemicals in accordance with themeasures described in the ILO Convention No. 170 and Recommendation1990 (see below). At the level of the undertaking, measures shouldinclude:adequate personal protective equipment and clothing, and washingfacilities for those using chemicals and for the maintenance andcleaning of personal protective and application equipment, at no cost tothe worker;spraying and post-spraying precautions in areas treated with chemicals,including measures to prevent pollution of food, drinking, washing andirrigation water sources;handling and disposal of hazardous chemicals which are no longerrequired, and containers which have been emptied but which maycontain residues of hazardous chemicals, in a manner which eliminatesor minimises the risk to safety, health and the environment;keeping a register of the application of pesticides;training agricultural workers on a continuing basis about practices andprocedures, hazards and precautions.ILO Convention No. 170 Concerning Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work1990: Articles 10 – 16Employers must ensure that: all chemicals used at work are labelled or marked, and that chemicalsafety data sheets have been provided and are made available toworkers and their representatives; a record of hazardous chemicals used at the workplace is kept,cross-referenced to the appropriate chemical safety data sheets. Thisrecord shall be accessible to all workers concerned and theirrepresentatives; when chemicals are transferred into other containers or equipment, thecontents are indicated in a manner which will make known to workerstheir identity, any hazards associated with their use and any safetyprecautions; workers are not exposed to chemicals to an extent which exceedsexposure limits; the exposure of workers to hazardous chemicals is assessed; the exposure of workers to hazardous chemicals is monitored andrecorded;136 Health, Safety and EnvironmentA Series of Trade Union EducationManuals for Agricultural Workers