Safer Times: The Good Day's Work Blog

Personal Protective Equipment: Chemical Handling

Written by Good Day's Work | Apr 11, 2017

We’ve talked about chemical safety before, but this is the time of year when many of us are applying anhydrous ammonia to our fields, using a wide variety of chemicals and handling thousands of pounds of seed, so here’s a brief refresher on safe handling of farm chemicals.

 Anhydrous Ammonia Safety

  • Wear a full-face respirator with ammonia cartridges and pre-filters.
  • Use lined rubber gloves – and don’t forget to turn the cuffs up to catch any drips.
  • Your shirt should be heavy and long-sleeved.
  • Ensure your boots are made of a nonabsorbent material. No leather or canvas.
  • Always have at least 8 ounces of clean water on you at all times, and the water supply on nurse tanks full and fresh.

 

Seed, Chemical and Fertilizer Safety

  • Protect your skin – gloves, long-sleeved shirt, overalls.
  • Use of a dust mask is recommended to prevent respiration of harmful dust, or the specific mask that is required for the chemicals you are using based on their SDS sheet.
  • Wash your hands immediately after performing any operations involving treated seeds, chemicals or contaminated planting equipment.
  • Follow the instructions on seed tags and safety data sheets (SDS).