Pesticide Safety Information, A No.8 8 Hs1571
User Manual: A-8
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Emergency medical care
Your employer must make plans for emergency medical care
before you start working with pesticides. If you think that pesticides
made you sick or hurt you at work, tell your employer. They must
make sure that you are taken to a doctor right away.
DO NOT TAKE YOURSELF.
Emergency medical care is available at
(address and telephone number):
REMEMBER: You do not have to pay for medical care if you get sick
or hurt from pesticides at work.
What are my rights?
You have the right to know the following about pesticides that have
been used recently where you work:
CA Department of Pesticide Regulation l 1001 I Street, Sacramento CA 95814 PSIS A No. 8 (HS-1571) A8 l 1
Safety Rules for Pesticide
Handlers on Farms
The pesticide label, your training, and this
leaet, tell you about pesticide dangers at work.
Your employer must teach you how to use pesticides
safely and how to protect yourself when you use them.
Pesticides are chemicals that are used to control
unwanted insects, weeds, and plant diseases.
EMPLOYERS: This is the hazard communication
leaet for pesticide handlers. Fill in the blank lines
in this leaet and display this handout at the
employee’s worksite.
Pesticide
Safety
A No. 8
Information
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
If you think
pesticides have
made you sick
at work,
your employer must
make sure that
you are taken
to the doctor
IMMEDIATELY.
CA Department of Pesticide Regulation l 1001 I Street, Sacramento CA 95814 A8 l 2
• When and where the pesticide was applied
• The restricted entry interval (REI)
• Name of the pesticide and active ingredient(s)
• The EPA registration number
As part of your training, your employer must tell you where all this
information is kept. Your employer must also let you see the records
anytime you want without having to ask.
You can nd information about recent pesticide use at (employers,
this is the application-specic information):
If you get sick or hurt BECAUSE OF YOUR JOB, you have the right to
le for worker’s compensation. Workers’ compensation will pay for
your medical bills, and sometimes, lost pay.
You have the right to look at Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and records
for all pesticides used where you work. The SDS tells you about each
specic pesticide and its dangers.
These records are kept at:
Your employer must explain your rights to you. If you need more
help in understanding your rights, call or go to your local county
agricultural commissioner’s ofce, local legal aid and worker’s rights
ofce, union, or the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR).
The DPR ofces are:
Who do I tell about dangers at work?
Pesticides are only one kind of danger at your work. If you have a
complaint about a pesticide safety problem, you should call your
County Agricultural Commissioner. You can look up the Commis-
sioner’s number in the government pages of your local phone book,
or by calling DPR’s toll-free complaint information line, 1-87PestLine
(1-877-378-5463). Other health and safety complaints (bathrooms,
heat stress, drinking water, etc.) should be led with the California
Department of Industrial Relations Cal/OSHA ofce.
How can I tell which pesti-
cides are more dangerous?
Most pesticide labels have a signal word
(“Danger,” “Warning,” “Caution”) on the
front of the label. This word tells
you about the acute health
effect of the pesticide.
S
A
F
E
T
Y
T
I
P
8
•Anaheim (714) 279-7690
•Clovis (559) 297-3511
•West Sacramento (916) 376-8960
CA Department of Pesticide Regulation l 1001 I Street, Sacramento CA 95814 A8 l 3
What training should I get?
Your employer must:
• Train you in a way that you understand BEFORE you begin working
with pesticides, and anytime you work with new pesticides.
• Give you training each year to remind you how to work with
pesticides safely.
• Tell you the ways a pesticide can hurt you and how to safely use
each pesticide you work with (Ask your employer for the A-1 safety
leaet to learn more about training).
• Give you extra training if you have to use a respirator (ask your
employer for the A-5 safety leaet).
• Tell you how to move pesticides from one place to another, or
dispose of empty pesticide containers (there are special rules
your employer must tell you about. Ask for the A-2 safety leaet
for more information).
Other safety leaets mentioned in this document should be part of
your training. They are free and are available from your employer or
your County Agricultural Commissioner’s ofce.
All the information about your training must be written down.
You will be given a paper to sign to show you have been trained.
Only sign this form after you have nished the training and you
understand what you heard.
What can a pesticide label tell me?
All pesticides are poisonous. If a pesticide gets in or on you, it can hurt
you or make you sick. The pesticide label tells you how to safely mix
and apply the pesticide. The label must be at the place where you mix
or apply the pesticide. You must read and follow ALL directions on the
label. There may be additional product bulletins or label information
that you must read and follow.
Some of the most important things listed on the label are:
1. Chemicals in the pesticide.
2. First aid and health warnings.
3. Protective equipment needed.
4. Directions for applying the pesticide.
How can I tell which pesticides are
more dangerous?
Most pesticide labels have a signal word in large print on the front
of the label. This signal word tells you about the acute health effect of
the pesticide. If a pesticide can hurt you or make you sick right away,
that’s called an acute effect. If it takes months or years of exposure
to a pesticide before you get sick, that’s called a chronic effect.
Pesticide Name
EPA Registration No.
Active Ingredients xx%
Inert Ingredients x%
Agricultural Use Requirements
Em ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuhenderit in voluptate
velit esse cillum dolore eu fu
Directions for Use
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pa qui ocia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
DANGER
First Aid
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehe nderit involup tate
velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat cididu nulla pariatur.
Precautionary Statements
Hazards to Humans
Personal Protective Equipment
Environment Hazards
CA Department of Pesticide Regulation l 1001 I Street, Sacramento CA 95814 A8 l 4
These are the words that tell about acute effects:
•“DANGER”—this pesticide is extremely harmful.
•“WARNING”—this pesticide is moderately harmful.
•“CAUTION”—this pesticide is slightly harmful.
If the label doesn’t have one of these words, it means that the pesti-
cide is less likely to harm you. However, you should handle every
pesticide carefully.
What else does the label tell me?
• If the pesticide can severely hurt your eyes or skin, the label
will say something like “Corrosive, causes eye and skin damage.”
• If the pesticide can make you very sick, the label will have a
skull-and-crossbones symbol and the word “POISON.”
• Words like “FATAL” or “may be fatal if swallowed, inhaled, or
absorbed through the skin,” mean the pesticide can make you
very sick or even kill you.
• Some pesticide labels tell you about other health problems that
might not show up until long after use (may take years), such as
cancer or dangers to unborn babies.
Are there any extra rules for
very dangerous pesticides?
Yes, there are two groups of pesticides that California has extra rules
for because they could be especially dangerous to you.
The rst group is the organophosphate or carbamate pesti-
cides.
If you mix, load, or apply organophosphates or carbamates,
California rules might require you to get extra medical care.
Ask your employer for A-10 safety leaet for more information
on these pesticides.
The doctor providing extra medical care for organophosphates and
carbamates is:
NAME
ADDRESS
TELEPHONE NUMBER
Medical records for handlers of these pesticides are kept at:
CA Department of Pesticide Regulation l 1001 I Street, Sacramento CA 95814 A8 l 5
The second group is called minimal exposure pesticides (MEP).
These are the agricultural pesticides on the MEP list:
• Omite, Comite
• Buctril
• Metasystox-R
See the A-6 safety leaet for more information about safety rules if
you have to work with these pesticides.
SUMMARY OF RECORDS YOUR EMPLOYER MUST KEEP
Information Location
Training papers Employer’s ofce site
Written training program Employer’s ofce site
Respirator program procedures Employer’s ofce site
Accident response plan (fumigants) Work site
Pesticide label Work site
Pesticide Safety Information Series Employer’s ofce site
Safety Data Sheet Employer’s ofce site
Storage area posting1Storage area
Emergency medical care notice Work site
Doctor’s report for respirator use Employer’s ofce site
Pesticide use records Employer’s ofce site
1 Required only for pesticides with the Signal word “DANGER” or “WARNING” l
Proposition 65
In 1986, a law called the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act
of 1986 (Proposition 65) was passed. Proposition 65 requires California to
make a list of chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other repro-
ductive harm. The Proposition 65 list contains many different chemicals,
including dyes, solvents, pesticides, drugs, and food additives. Your
employer may also choose to warn you if a pesticide on the Proposition
65 list has been sprayed, even if health problems are not likely. Your
employer is required to keep information on each pesticide application
and allow you to look at it. If you are not sure of the record location,
ask your employer.
The list of pesticides that are on the Proposition 65 list and
that might be used in California, can be found at
http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/dept/factshts/prop65.htm.
DOWNLOAD current Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to the State to
cause cancer or reproductive toxicity:
http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/Newlist.html
If you don’t get all the information you need
in your training, you should call your County
Agricultural Commissioner, or the Department
of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) for more informa-
tion. You can nd the Commissioner’s number
in your local white pages phone directory, by
calling 1-87PestLine, or at:
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/exec/county/countymap/
DPR’s Regional Ofces are:
lNorthern (West Sacramento) 916/376-8960
lCentral (Clovis) (559) 297-3511
lSouthern (Anaheim) 714/279-7690
CA Department of Pesticide Regulation l 1001 I Street, Sacramento CA 95814 A8 l 6
COLA
SO AP
• Wear clothes with long sleeves
and long pants, shoes or boots
socks, a hat and/or scarf
and gloves
•Make sure they are clean
and without holes
•Always wash your hands before
eating, drinking, smoking,
chewing gum or going to
the bathroom
•Do not cook food with wood
found in the eld
• Take a bath or shower as soon
as you get home from work
• Wash with soap & water and
use shampoo on your hair
• Put on clean clothes
• Pesticides get on work clothes
and then on your skin
• Wash work clothes before
wearing them again
• Wash work clothes separate
from other clothes
PESTICIDE
•Never put pesticides in
food containers
•Do not take farm pesticides
or their containers home
• Keep children away
from pesticides
• Pesticides get on your skin and clothes when you touch sprayed plants,
soil, and irrigation water or are exposed to spray drift
•They can move from your clothes and onto your skin
• Some pesticides easily go through your skin and can make you sick
• Tell your employer if you are sick or hurt at work
•If the illness/injury is work-related, your employer will pay for all medical care of that illness
•If the condition is work-related, you may be paid for your time o work while sick or hurt
Have someone else drive you to the doctor if you are sick or injured
• Wash immediately with the
closest clean water if pesti-
cides are spilled or sprayed
on your clothes or skin
•Change into clean clothes
• Tell your employer about the
spill after washing
• Wash if your eyes or skin begin
to itch or burn
•Use lots of water
• Tell your employer you should
go to a doctor
•If you feel sick at work (headache,
stomach ache, vomiting, dizzy)
tell your employer
•He or she can make sure
you are taken to a doctor
•Have someone else drive you
to the doctor if you are sick
or injured
Safety Tips
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF ILLNESS OR INJURY
FIRST AID ALWAYS REMEBER
