Precautions with Pesticides:
Protective Clothing and Equipment

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Table of Contents

1. Choose and Wear the Appropriate Protective Clothing and Equipment
2. Care of Protective Clothing and Equipment
• How to Wash Your Spraying Clothes
3. Use Organic Vapour Tractor Cab Cartridges
4. Safety Supply Companies
5. Personal Hygiene
6. Other topics on Precautions with Pesticides
   • Pesticide Regulations
   • Certification and Training Requirements
   • General Precautions
   • Read and Follow Pesticide Label Information
   • Human Health
   • Protective Clothing and Equipment
   • Protect the Environment
   • Disposal of Pesticides and Empty Pesticide Containers
   • Storing Pesticides
   • Pesticide Spills
   • Application Procedures
   • Precautions with Pesticide Tables
     • Pesticide Schedules in Ontario (Pesticide Regulations)
     • Safety Supply Companies in Ontario Providing Protective Clothing & Equipment (Table 1-1)
     • Pesticides Act Storage Requirements (Table 1-2)
7. Related Links

Choose and Wear the Appropriate Protective Clothing and Equipment

Make sure your protective clothing and equipment:

• is what you need for the job
• fits properly
• is clean and in good repair and working condition.

The protective clothing and equipment you need to wear depends on:

• the pesticide you are using.
  Read the precautions section of the label to know what to wear.
• the job you are doing. For example, you need more protection when you handle concentrated pesticide or when you mix and load your sprayer.
• the type of application. Enclosed space or air blast sprayer applications made with open tractors require more equipment.

Each person who is working with pesticides needs their own set of protective clothing and equipment. Consult the technical expert at your safety supply company to make sure that you purchase the appropriate equipment and that it fits the user. See Table 1-4, Safety Supply Companies in Ontario Providing Protective Clothing & Equipment, for a list of supply companies.

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For ALL pesticides, always wear:

• Water repellent hats (i.e. a hard hat or waterproof hat).
  • A hood or hat that protects your ear canals where you need to protect your entire head or neck (i.e. when applying pesticides in a greenhouse or using an air blast sprayer.)
  • Do not wear hats made from cloth or baseball-style caps as they absorb pesticides and are not safe.
• Long pants and a shirt with long sleeves, or a coverall.
  • Coveralls can be reusable or disposable. Reusable coveralls are normally cotton or polyester and should be tightly woven. Designate disposable coveralls for pesticide use.
  • Water-resistant coveralls are preferred, because cotton, denim and cotton/polyester pants cling to the skin if they get wet, increasing the risk of dermal exposure.
• Chemical resistant gloves (unlined)
  • Use neoprene or nitrile gloves, unless the label states otherwise. Do not wear rubber gloves as many pesticides can break down the rubber material. Wear your gloves under your sleeves with the top cuffed.
• Chemical resistant boots (unlined)
  • Wear your pant legs over your boots to prevent pesticide from running down inside of your boots.

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Read the label. It will describe what extra protective clothing and equipment to wear. For some pesticides you may also need to wear:

• Goggles
  • Use safety goggles with indirect vents so that splashes do not enter your eye. Regular eyeglasses don't provide complete protection. Never wear contact lenses when you handle pesticides.
• Face shield
• Chemical Resistant Apron
• Respirator
  • A respirator is a unit that covers your mouth and nose to prevent spray droplets, small particles, and vapours from getting into your lungs. A dust mask is not a substitute for a pesticide respirator. Make sure you use cartridges and pre-filters that protect you against organic vapours when you buy a respirator or replacement cartridges. For more information about respirators, refer to the Grower Pesticide Safety Course Manual, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph.
  • You may need more protection, such as Canister Gas Masks or Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) when you apply:
    • any pesticide in an enclosed area
    • fumigants, gases, vapours or smokes

When you work with fumigants, gases or vapours
or when you apply any pesticide in an enclosed area,
ALWAYS wear a respirator.

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Care of Protective Clothing and Equipment

• After you complete the spray operation, clean all protective clothing and equipment.
• Never let children, pets or livestock come in contact with contaminated clothing or equipment - and also make sure that they cannot come into contact with the puddles of water that result when you clean your equipment.
• Wash your gloves with soap and water and then leave them on to remove your other protective clothing and equipment.
• Always remove protective clothing and equipment outdoors. If a granular pesticide was used, shake the clothing outdoors in a safe place, emptying pockets and cuffs.
• Clothing that has been contaminated by spills of highly toxic or concentrated pesticide should be thrown out. Place clothing in a plastic bag and take it to a landfill site.
• Coveralls and other spray clothing must be washed separately from other clothes. They should be washed after each use. Place them in a plastic bag and keep them separate.
• With your hands still protected by gloves, wash protective equipment. It is best to wash equipment outdoors. If you do not have an outside clean-up area, keep certain buckets just for equipment clean up. Mark them and keep them in a special place. Wash the inside and outside of your goggles, hat, boots, and any water-repellent clothing in warm soapy water, rinse well and let them air dry.
• Remove the cartridges and pre-filters from the respirator.
• Discard cartridges, canisters and filter pads when breathing becomes difficult, or when you notice a pesticide taste or odour, or at the interval set by the manufacturer.
  • Make a note of the date the cartridge is first used.
  • Remove cartridges and filter pads from the face piece and store in clean, sealed plastic bags.
  • Wash the face piece in warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and dry in a well-ventilated area. Air-drying prevents damage to the inlet and outlet valves.
  • Never use alcohol or other solvents for cleaning, as they will damage the rubber and plastic.
• Next wash the outside of your gloves with soapy water and remove them.
• After removing boots and gloves, wash them inside and out with detergent and water, rinse thoroughly, and dry in a well-ventilated area.
• Place all dry articles in a clean storage area until next use.

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How to Wash Your Spraying Clothes

Never mix spray clothing with household laundry. All clothing used for spraying must be stored and washed separately from other clothing. They should be washed after each use. Remember to use chemical resistant gloves to handle pesticide-contaminated clothing.

• Presoak clothing before washing. Use one of three methods:
  • hose off garments outdoors
  • soak in separate tub or pail
  • use the prewash cycle in automatic washer.
• Place clothing directly into the washing machine. Wash only a few garments at a time. Do not wash with other family clothes.
• Use hot water, the highest water level, and the longest cycle, with heavy duty detergent. Wash as you would for heavily soiled clothing.
• Wash clothing again.
• After washing, hang outside (preferably in bright sunlight) until completely dry. Do not use the clothes dryer.
• Clean the washing machine. Run the washing machine through one complete cycle using only detergent and hot water. (No clothing).

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Use Organic Vapour Tractor Cab Cartridges

If you use a tractor with a cab when you spray, these tractor cab cartridges work the same way as an air-purifying respirator. These cartridges and prefilters must be replaced and maintained on a regular basis to provide continued protection.

When you use air blast sprayers and mist blowers and tractors without cabs:

• wear the appropriate respirator, as well as a waterproof suit, head covering, chemical resistant gloves, boots, and eye protection. Once you complete the spray application, clean your protective equipment and the tractor. Do not operate the tractor without wearing protective clothing and equipment, unless it has been decontaminated.

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Safety Supply Companies

Consult the safety supply companies of your choice for help in selecting your protective clothing and equipment.

See Table 1-1. Safety Supply Companies in Ontario Providing Protective Clothing & Equipment

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Personal Hygiene

• When you are finished for the day, take a bath or shower as soon as possible. The longer a pesticide remains on your skin, the greater the risk that it will be absorbed into your body.
• Always shower before eating, drinking, or smoking. Wash your hair and under your fingernails. Shower with lots of soap and water.
• Always change into clean clothes.
• Wear clean work clothes every day. A small spill on the previous day's clothes may seem unimportant, but wearing the same clothing again without washing it prolongs the exposure and increases your risk.

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Related Links

• Publication 75, Guide to Weed Control
• Publication 812, Field Crop Protection Guide
• PMRA website

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