Farm Chemicals Safety Measures PDF

❖ Witch weed (Striga asiatica) ❖ Devil’s thorn (Tribulus terrestris) Safety measures and their importance when handling farm chemicals 1. Before application ❖ The operator should wear suitable protective clothing such as overall, breathing mask, gloves, boots and helmet/hat to reduce p...

❖ Witch weed (Striga asiatica) ❖ Devil’s thorn (Tribulus terrestris) Safety measures and their importance when handling farm chemicals 1. Before application ❖ The operator should wear suitable protective clothing such as overall, breathing mask, gloves, boots and helmet/hat to reduce poisoning. ❖ Read the instructions on the packet carefully, and follow them to ensure the right dilution before spraying ❖ Ensure anyone using chemicals is suitably trained to promote a safer work environment and avoid injury. ❖ Prepare enough amount needed for application to reduce wastage and save money. ❖ Use the proper equipment suited for the chemical to ensure accurate application. 2. During application ❖ Avoid drinking or eating when applying the chemicals to prevent poisoning. ❖ Spray on a calm day to prevent pesticide particles from being carried away from the target area by wind, potentially affecting unintended areas or harming non-target organisms. ❖ Spray with the wind at your back /along the wind direction to avoid exposure. 3. Storage ❖ Keep pesticides in well-labelled containers to minimize poisoning. ❖ Store chemicals in a locked shed to keep them away from children, unauthorized people and animals and avoid accidents. ❖ Keep them in a well-ventilated shed to avoid pollution and suffocation of people. ❖ Store them in tightly closed containers to avoid spillage. ❖ Keep them in high cupboards to keep them away from children and avoid poisoning. ❖ Store them in cool or dry or direct to prevent loss of effectiveness. 4. Disposal of containers ❖ Destroy and break up tins and packets that contained the chemicals to prevent re-use. ❖ Burn any paper or plastic containers in a deep hole to prevent re-use. ❖ Bury tins away from streams or dams to prevent pollution 12 Appropriate Tools, Equipment, Machinery, And Materials When Handling Farm Chemicals A. Sprayers: There are different types of sprayers used for applying pesticides and herbicides to crops, such as handheld sprayers, backpack sprayers, knapsack sprayers, tractor-mounted sprayers, and aerial sprayers. B. Dusters: Dusters are used to apply dry pesticides or dust formulations to plants or areas infested with pests. C. Foggers: Foggers create a fine mist of pesticide often used for indoor pest control in areas such as greenhouses. D. Granular spreaders: Granular spreaders are used to apply granular pesticides or fertilizers to lawns, gardens, and agricultural fields. E.g. handheld spreaders, push spreaders, and tractor-mounted spreaders. E. Aerial applicators: Aircraft is equipped to spray pesticides or chemicals over large agricultural fields. 13  Knapsack Sprayer Name the parts of the knapsack sprayer labelled above. Calibration of a knapsack sprayer The aim is to determine the Spray Volume (SV), the rate at which water is applied to a known area. Calibration steps: ❖ Select and measure a sample/test area: ❖ Fill the spray tank with a known volume of water(l)# ❖ Proceed to spray at a normal speed and constant height until the test area is completed. ❖ Measure the amount of water remaining in the tank ❖ Determine the amount of water used by subtracting the final water volume from the initial water volume *Calculate the spray volume (SV) of the sprayer using the formula. SV=Initial water volume (Vi)- Final water volume (Vf)/ Test Area = Litres/m2 *To calculate amount of spray mixture needed to spray a given field area. Quantity of Spray mixture needed (Qm) = SV x Area of field (m2) 14 Appropriate protective clothing Name the protective the clothing worn by the applicators on the picture above. 15