Health, Safety and Environment - International Labour Organization

Manual 5:PESTICIDES AND HEALTH,SAFETY & THE ENVIRONMENTPesticideapplicationPesticides are sold in many forms – liquids, granules, dusts, fogs, smokes,vapours – and all require handling differently to stop pesticides beinginhaled, ingested, absorbed by skin, or contaminating the environment.Contamination can arise during handling, mixing, and loading of sprayingmachines and knapsack sprayers from: inhaling vapour, droplets, or even dust, from the concentrated pesticide splashing liquid pesticide on skin or into eyesgetting liquid or powder pesticide onto the hands and exposed parts ofthe body and clothing. From there it can get into the mouth, be incontact with the skin, or be absorbed through the skin into thebloodstreamChecklist – Pre-spraying precautions Read the label plus any other information provided Avoid using pesticides provided in unlabelled paper/plastic bags or decantedinto unlabelled or wrongly labelled containers. If your employer instructs you touse pesticides in this way, make sure that you are provided with a copy of theproper label and written instructions on how to use the pesticide in a correctmanner Check the spray equipment including calibration Check and wear any PPE Check the first aid equipment Check that weather conditions are satisfactory Put any warning signs in position258 Health, Safety and EnvironmentA Series of Trade Union EducationManuals for Agricultural Workers