HAZARD COMMUNICATION
(HAZCOM)
in Agriculture
(437-004-9800)
WHAT?
• Informing Employees About
Hazardous Substances They Work
with Directly--Or Indirectly
● GOAL  Protect Employees
WHY???
• An Unlabeled Pesticide Container
Spills From A Shelf onto a Handler
Wearing No PPE…
• A Seed Worker Drinks Several Beers
the Night Before and Works with
Thiram the Next Day…
• A Newly-Confirmed Pregnant Worker
Is Assigned to Spray an Area with
Atrazine…
WHY?
• Employees Have The (Legal) Right and
The Need to Know-->
– Chemical Identities
– Chemical Hazards
– Protective Measures
APPLIES
• Normal
Conditions of
Use
• Foreseeable
Emergency
EXEMPTIONS
•
•
•
•
Hazardous Waste
Biological Hazards
Consumer Products
Tobacco or Tobacco
Products
• Wood or Wood
Products
EXEMPTIONS
•
•
•
•
•
Articles
Food or Alcoholic Beverages
Drugs
Products Deemed Non-hazardous
Radiation
STATS!
• OR-OSHA Citations
For Ag
• HAZCOM written
program, MSDS,
List, Labels
• “Safe Practices”
HOW?
• Develop a Written
Program to Be
Implemented
– Labels
– MSDSs
– Employee Info and
Training
– Non-Routine Procedures
HOW?
• Develop a Written
*and* Implemented
Program About
– Pipe and Piping
Systems
– Hazardous Chemicals
List
INFORM!
• Employees Through Labels, MSDSs,
and Training By
– Chemical Manufacturers
– Distributors
– Employers
INFORM!
• Of Course, Some
Employees Don’t
Pay Attention…
LABELS
• Original Container -->
Identification,
Hazard,
Manufacturer’s
Address
• Secondary Container
--> Identification,
Hazard
LABELS
• For Pesticides
• The Label is
The Law
• Yet…
MSDSs
• For “Material Safety
Data Sheets”
• For Hazardous Chemicals
• Immediately Accessible
• Can Be on Paper or Via
Computer
MSDSs
• Required Info Such As
• Name and Hazardous
Ingredients
• Physical/Chemical
Characteristics, e.g., pH
(Corrosive?)
• Physical Hazards,e.g.,
Reactivity (Storage?)
MSDSs
•
•
•
•
•
Health Hazards: Signs/Symptoms
Entry into Body
Permissible Exposure Limit, etc.
Carcinogen?
Precautions for Safe Handling, e.g.,
Spills
MSDSs
• Protective Measures, e.g.,
PPE
• Emergency/First Aid
• Date of MSDS
• Name/Address/Phone
Number
TRAINING
• Initial
• New Hazard
TRAINING
•
•
•
•
•
HAZCOM Rule
Chemicals Where Employees Work
HAZCOM Program
Physical & Health Effects
How Company is Aware of Hazard
TRAINING
• Protecting Yourself
• How Company is
Protecting Employees
• Emergencies
• Reading Labels and
MSDSs
TRAINING
• Effective Training-->
When English is (or
Is Not Even) a
Second Language
TRAINING
• Also In Agricultural HAZCOM
• “Safe Practices When Working
Around Hazardous Agricultural
Chemicals”
Any Questions??