Standard Practices for Pesticide Applicators
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Standard Practices for Pesticide Applicators 10/09 Printed in Canada BK35 About WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC (the Workers’ Compensation Board) is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors. It is funded by insurance premiums paid by registered employers and by investment returns. In administering the Workers Compensation Act, WorkSafeBC remains separate and distinct from government; however, it is accountable to the public through government in its role of protecting and maintaining the overall well-being of the workers’ compensation system. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between B.C.’s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers or fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to a safe and healthy workplace, and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment. WorkSafeBC Prevention Information Line The WorkSafeBC Prevention Information Line can answer your questions about workplace health and safety, worker and employer responsibilities, and reporting a workplace accident or incident. The Prevention Information Line accepts anonymous calls. Phone 604 276-3100 in the Lower Mainland, or call 1 888 621-7233 (621-SAFE) toll-free in British Columbia. To report after-hours and weekend accidents and emergencies, call 604 273-7711 in the Lower Mainland, or call 1 866 922-4357 (WCB-HELP) toll-free in British Columbia. Standard Practices for Pesticide Applicators WorkSafeBC Publications Many publications are available on the WorkSafeBC web site. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and associated policies and guidelines, as well as excerpts and summaries of the Workers Compensation Act, are also available on the web site: WorkSafeBC.com Some publications are also available for purchase in print: Phone: 604 232-9704 Toll-free phone: 1 866 319-9704 Fax: 604 232-9703 Toll-free fax: 1 888 232-9714 Online ordering: WorkSafeBC.com and click on Publications; follow the links for ordering © 1985, 1990, 2009 Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia. All rights reserved. The Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C. encourages the copying, reproduction, and distribution of this document to promote health and safety in the workplace, provided that the Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C. is acknowledged. However, no part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or distributed for profit or other commercial enterprise, nor may any part be incorporated into any other publication, without written permission of the Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Standard practices for pesticide applicators : a manual of health information and safe practices for workers who apply pesticides / WorkSafeBC. -- 2009 ed. ISBN 978-0-7726-6210-1 1. Pesticides--Safety measures. 2. Pesticides--Application--Safety measures. I. WorkSafeBC II. Title: Manual of health information and safe practices for workers who apply pesticides. SB952.5.S72 2009 363.17’92 C2009-906717-X Cover photo © iStockphoto/alohaspirit. Standard Practices for Pesticide Applicators - ii - Acknowledgments WorkSafeBC would like to thank everyone who contributed their time and expertise to the development of this document, including Rex Eaton and the Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Association (FARSHA). Standard Practices for Pesticide Applicators - iii - Standard Practices for Pesticide Applicators - iv - Contents 1. Introduction.........................................................................1 How to use this manual......................................................................3 Pests and pesticides ............................................................................4 Worker health and safety ...................................................................5 Pesticide legislation ............................................................................6 2. Sources of pesticide information .......................................9 Introduction ...................................................................................... 11 Labels ................................................................................................ 12 Material safety data sheets (MSDSs) ................................................ 18 Worker education and training......................................................... 24 3. Types of pesticides ...........................................................25 Introduction ...................................................................................... 27 Classifying by target organism ........................................................ 28 Classifying by formulation ............................................................... 29 Classifying by chemical family ........................................................ 31 4. Routes of entry and health effects ...................................33 Routes of entry — how pesticides enter the body .............................. 35 Health effects .................................................................................... 38 5. Pesticide hazard evaluation .............................................53 Introduction ...................................................................................... 55 Pesticide toxicity ............................................................................... 57 Amount of pesticide ......................................................................... 58 Pesticide formulation ........................................................................ 59 Amount of pesticide in the air .......................................................... 61 Warning properties .......................................................................... 65 Persistence ........................................................................................ 67 Mixing, loading, and application equipment ................................... 72 6. General precautions when working with pesticides .......85 Introduction ...................................................................................... 87 The pesticide safety program ........................................................... 88 Personal protective equipment ......................................................... 92 Transport of pesticides ....................................................................110 Pesticide storage ..............................................................................111 Standard Practices for Pesticide Applicators - v - Mixing and loading procedures ...................................................... 119 Cross-connection control ................................................................ 120 Application procedures .................................................................. 125 Disposal of pesticides and containers ............................................ 127 Personal cleanliness and wash-up facilities ................................... 128 7. Precautions for specific pesticide applications ............. 131 Introduction .................................................................................... 133 Field and orchard application ......................................................... 134 Landscape application .................................................................... 137 Silviculture application ................................................................... 140 Aerial application ........................................................................... 144 Structural pesticide application ...................................................... 148 Fumigation ...................................................................................... 153 Wood treatment ...............................................................................162 8. Protecting re-entry workers ...........................................167 Introduction .................................................................................... 169 Warning signs ................................................................................. 170 Restricted entry intervals ............................................................... 173 Entry procedures .............................................................................174 Exceptions ....................................................................................... 175 9. Emergency procedures ...................................................177 Introduction .................................................................................... 179 Poisoning ........................................................................................ 180 Fires ................................................................................................ 185 Pesticide spills ................................................................................ 187 10. Maintenance and calibration of application equipment ..............................................189 The maintenance program ............................................................. 191 Equipment calibration .................................................................... 196 Emergency telephone numbers ..........................................202 Standard Practices for Pesticide Applicators - vi - Introduction This chapter 1includes the following sections: y How to use this manual