The report is based on the US agricultural industry, but, nevertheless, there is information for consideration for everyone who works with pesticides.
The California Department of Pesticide Management (DPR) recently published a report that identified the ten most common violations in the field of pesticide use in agriculture in 2018.
1. Inconsistency with the conditions indicated on the product label. Examples of violations are: non-compliance with the requirements for storage of pesticides indicated on the labeling; and the use of pesticides on a plot or on a crop not indicated on the label.
2. Non-compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements: storage of PPE in the same place where pesticides are stored; employers do not provide appropriate PPE required by labeling.
3. Violation of emergency medical care: there is no promptness in immediately sending employees to the doctor with a suspicion of pesticide poisoning and in communicating emergency medical information to employees. As it is obvious, the heads of agricultural enterprises sin this.
4. Untimely annual registration with the county ombudsman for those who intend to advertise, sell pesticides, or control pests (in California). An example of a violation is the implementation of pest control actions in the district prior to registration with the district commissioner for agriculture.
5. Violation in the labeling of service containers: there is no “signal” warning word on the label of the service container, the address of the company or the person responsible for the container is not indicated.
6. Lack of appropriate instructions (in the form of booklets, including) on the job site when mixing, loading or using pesticides.
7. Violation of safety rules: the absence of an emergency eye wash station for 15 minutes at the place of mixing and loading of pesticides; workers use soap and water to wash their hands instead of a disinfectant.
8. Notification of risks for field workers is not carried out: lack of storage of safety data sheets for pesticides used over the past two years; employees or the contractor are not informed of the whereabouts of pesticide safety data sheets before employees enter the field.
9. Lack of pesticide safety data sheets to which workers would have unhindered access.
10. Violation of the process of training and retraining of processors: the absence of continuing education courses before applying a new pesticide, employees are not provided with instructors for training before they start work or repair equipment that was previously used to apply pesticides.
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