Safe workers

A successful case of industry initiative for the protection of user and worker health

The crop protection industry provides solutions for use in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and gardening, delivering crop protection products such as herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, biopesticides and genetically modified crops.

For these products to reach the market, they must first undergo a long research and development process. Hereafter, manufacturers must overcome an extremely rigorous and complex authorisation procedure that starts at European Union level and ends at Member State level. Both procedures are complicated and costly, and include a series of studies to ensure that the product is safe for the user, the consumer, flora and fauna, ground water and the environment in general.

An important part of these studies and requirements is related to the safety of the users (farmers and their workers) and the preventive measures users must adopt for the correct handling of the product.

The safety standards of manufacturers and their workers go beyond all the latest legal requirements and all products are labelled with the officially prescribed protection, hygiene and preventive measures. In spite of this, manufacturers have always found it difficult to ensure that end users who buy the products through independent distributors understand and fully comply with these preventive measures.

Manufacturers and associations throughout have been committed to product stewardship, a part of which is dedicated to recommending the best safety measures during use.

Especially in Southern Europe (in a hot climate where personal protective equipment can be uncomfortable), operators applying crop protection products might not comply with label recommendations. Pests and diseases are abundant and in order to protect the harvest, many treatments with crop protection products (CPPs) are required during the year.

The industry shares officials’ concern on occupational protection and proper label compliance when using crop protection products, and takes on leadership by officially adopting this initiative, in March 2002, for improving the situation in Southern Europe.

Scope and objectives

Safety measures are particularly challenging in the warm, dry and sometimes humid conditions of the Mediterranean countries. It is also in this area where most fresh food is produced in Europe. These were the two decisive factors for the industry to launch an initiative destined to improve once and for all the safety conditions of millions of farmers who work in this vast area covering Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

From the above-mentioned Mediterranean countries, ECPA decided to launch the initiative in Spain. Almería is an area in South-eastern Spain where the most intensive greenhouse conglomeration is found and also where greenhouses create the most difficult work conditions.

Methodology

Conscious of the important local differences in terms of crops, culture as well as national legislation and norms, ECPA decided not only to fund, but also to manage the initiative from a pan-European perspective but with a strong local approach.

A renowned industry expert was recruited to manage the European project aided by a dedicated Steering Committee composed of industry experts and an ECPA issue manager.

Once the overall aim, issues, objectives, measures, control, measurement factors and supervision were defined, the project was to be developed in each country under the guidance of the European manager and the Steering Committee. National associations also collaborated by assigning a country coordinator and a national industry working group.

The aim set was to address safety issues regarding label compliance identified in Southern European countries.

Issues identified:

• Application techniques and equipment;
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE);
• Hygiene; and
• Waste disposal.

Objectives:

• Reduce the potential user exposure by innovative application techniques;
• Reduce dermal and inhalation exposures by appropriate PPE and its proper use; and
• Reduce the environmental impact by container rinsing besides the disposal and avoidance of surpluses.

Measures to apply

• Best handling, adapting, developing and promoting application equipment and techniques;
• Identifying, testing, validating (accepted by authorities) and making specific protective equipment available (clothing, gloves, boots, masks, face shields, goggles); 
• Using, maintaining, storing and cleaning PPE correctly;
• For minimum environmental impact, triple rinsing of containers, disposing container/waste appropriately and preparing an adequate amount of mixture;
• Teaching trainers for official training schemes; and
• Creating awareness by communication, information and media campaigns.

Control and measurement factors:

• Baseline survey before initiative starts to analyse and measure the situation;
• Determination of key factors;
• Laboratory trials to select suitable PPE;
• Field trials to test overall penetration and comfort;
• Spray equipment trials to verify spray distribution and biological efficacy;
• Progress after training and awareness campaign; and
• Progress survey measuring improvements, especially those involving the key factors.

Supervision and continuity:

• The national association and working group will ensure the continuity of the efforts and improvements after the project is completed.