New Guide To Safe Handling

The University of Washington’s Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety And Health (PNASH) Center recently released a “Practical Solutions for Pesticide Safety Guide,” a collection of solutions and ideas identified on farms and developed in a partnership with growers, educators, and researchers in Washington state.

The practical solutions covered in the guide were identified based on:

• Interviews with experts in pesticide handling, farm management, and pesticide safety education

• Visits to farms and on-farm interviews with handlers and managers

• Recommendations from Expert Working Group members and pesticide safety educators

• Reviews of pesticide safety measures developed and tested by other researchers and organizations.

Twenty-five farms and 95 handlers and managers participated in farm visits and interviews and contributed many of the solutions in the guide. Nearly 1,200 people participated in identifying, evaluating, and selecting the solutions through evaluation surveys, audience participation surveys at presentations, in-orchard tests, and an advisory committee.

Many of the solutions in the guide may be used or adapted for a variety of crop systems, though most solutions originate from farms that use airblast sprayers for applying agricultural chemicals, such as tree fruit and grapes. The guide also includes training tips and resources. Specific chapters are devoted to mixing and loading; chemical application and drift reduction; decontamination; emergency and sanitation facilities; and storage facilities.

The guide is available as a PDF document; go to http://depts.washington.edu/pnash/practical_solutions for more information.