Health, Safety and Environment - International Labour Organization

Manual 5:PESTICIDES AND HEALTH,SAFETY & THE ENVIRONMENTRiskassessmentandpreventionand controlmeasuresRisk assessmentThe very first step, before use of or exposure to a pesticide, is for theemployer to carry out a risk assessment at the workplace. The workplacerisk assessment should identify the potential hazards before, during, andafter pesticide application both for pesticide users and thoseworking/living nearby, evaluate the risks, and work out appropriatemeasures for the employer to implement to prevent, control or minimisethe risks identified.ILO Convention No. 184 on Safety and Health in Agriculture: Article 7“The employer shall:(a) carry out appropriate risk assessments in relation to the safety and health ofworkers and, on the basis of these results, adopt preventive and protective measures toensure that under all conditions of their intended use, all agricultural activities,workplaces, machinery, equipment, chemicals, tools and processes under the control ofthe employer are safe and comply with prescribed safety and health standards;(b) ensure that adequate and appropriate training and comprehensible instructions onsafety and health and any necessary guidance or supervision are provided, includinginformation on hazards and risks associated with their work and the action to be takenfor their protection, taking into account their level of education and differences inlanguage”.ILO Recommendation No. 192 on Safety and Health in Agriculture:Paragraph 5“At the level of the undertaking risk assessment and management measures should beimplemented in the following order of priority: elimination of the risk; control of the risk at the source; minimisation of the risk by such means as the design of safe work systems, theintroduction of technical and organisational measures and safe practices, andtraining; and in so far as the risk remains, provision and use of personal protective equipment andclothing, at no cost to the worker”.The hierarchy of prevention and control measures should be followed in theorder that they are listed.249 Health, Safety and EnvironmentA Series of Trade Union EducationManuals for Agricultural Workers