Occupational Health Watch: March 2018
Preventing Illness from Pesticide Drift
As the breadbasket for the United States, California has many communities and workplaces surrounded by agriculture. Workers can become ill when pesticide drifts onto workplaces after it is applied incorrectly.
A new
fact sheet (PDF) and
poster (PDF) from the California Department of Public Health's
Occupational Pesticide Illness Prevention Program (OPIPP) provides employers and workers with tips for preventing pesticide illness from drift incidents. The
fact sheet (PDF) will help workplaces located near pesticide applications to plan ahead and know who to contact to report drift. A case study illustrates the need to plan in advance and train workers on how to respond.
The companion
poster (PDF) reinforces what to do in a drift situation and provides an easy way to post the contact information for reporting drift.
You can find more information and resources about OPIPP on their
website.
Photo: An airplane applies pesticides to a field.
Resources
Plan Ahead to Prevent Pesticide Drift from Causing Illness (PDF) - fact sheet
What to Do If Pesticides Drift onto Our Workplace (PDF) - poster
Occupational Pesticide Illness Prevention Program website
Email Occupational Health Watch (OHW@cdph.ca.gov) with feedback or change of address.