After application

After application 

Immediately following the application of plant protection products, attention should be paid to three separate aspects:

1. Reading and complying with the conditions stated on the label about the interval before re-entering treated parcels and the safety interval.

2. Maintenance and cleaning of the application equipment and the personal protective equipment (PPE).

3. Operator hygiene.

Interval before re-entering treated parcels

Some plant protection products stipulate a waiting period before re-entering fields after treatments. In such cases, precautions should be taken to prevent anybody inadvertently entering those parcels. One way to do this is to erect signs stating that the field has been treated and that entry is prohibited.

All products that stipulate a waiting period before re-entering fields state this on the label. 

Where it is necessary to re-enter fields during the 24 hours following application, appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn.

The products  and the date and dose applied should be recorded immediately following application so as to avoid subsequent uncertainty, in particular as to the date after which the crop can be harvested, i.e. after the pre harvest interval.

Maintenance and cleaning of application equipment

The basic rule to follow for cleaning and maintaining application equipment is simple and practical:

“Clean and check the application equipment at the end of each day’s work, leaving it ready for the next treatment”.

The application equipment should be cleaned immediately after each application. The washing water should be sprayed over vegetation in areas containing plants not intended for human or animal consumption and well away from springs, wells or watercourses and in uninhabited areas.

The equipment should be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Special attention should be paid during long off season periods when the equipment is not used. During off season more thorough maintenance is required.

Maintenance and cleaning of personal protective equipment (PPE)

The personal protective equipment (PPE) for plant protection treatments should be used exclusively for this purpose. It should be cleaned at the end of each day’s work and replaced if it is not in good condition, e.g. torn.

Washing boots

Rubber boots should be washed under running water while still wearing gloves. Do not use detergents when washing boots, as these may affect their impermeability.

Washing gloves

Gloves should also be washed under running water without the use of detergent. Although gloves should only be removed after being washed, avoid touching the outside of the gloves with your hands. It is recommended that gloves should be removed as follows:

1. Partly remove one of the gloves as far as the wrist.

2. Pull the other glove down to thumb level.

3. Grasp the gloves by the insides with your free hand and insert your thumb in the unremoved glove to remove it.

4. Always hold the gloves by the insides. 

Washing protective garment

Reusable garment should always be washed after each application at the end of the day’s work.The garment should be washed either by hand or in a washing machine.

Protective garment should always be washed separately from ordinary clothes.

Follow the manufacturer’s washing instructions. Read the garment label carefully, as the instructions for care and maintenance may vary. Some garments need ironing after washing in order to regain their water repellent properties; others must be washed at low temperature, etc.

Disposable overalls should not be washed, because they would lose their protective properties. They should be replaced after use.

Cleaning visors, goggles and respirator masks

Goggles and visors should be washed under running water; a gentle detergent may be used.

Respirator masks should be cleaned with a damp cloth. In the case of reusable respirator masks with built-in filters, take care not to get the filters wet.

Disposable masks should be replaced after each use.

It is important to replace the filters or the respirator itself in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions or, where these do not exist, whenever difficulty in breathing is experienced or you detect the smell or taste of the product you are using.

Operator hygiene

Immediately after using the products and cleaning the application equipment and personal protective equipment, the operator should take a shower. It is recommended that the operator showers with soap or equivalent and puts on clean clothes. The operator should perform any other activity only after having completed his personal hygiene.

Where plant protection products are applied in the morning and afternoon, for example, it is recommended that at the end of the morning the operator cleans the protection equipment and showers, and starts the afternoon activities with clean equipment.