Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment, referred to as PPE, includes coveralls, respirators, protective eyewear, and chemical-resistant suits, gloves, footwear, aprons, and headgear that protect handlers from pesticides. Employers must make sure that the handlers are provided with the PPE that the pesticide labeling requires for each task and that they wear the PPE correctly for the duration of the handling task.

Employers must ensure that the PPE is cleaned and maintained in proper operating condition. They must make sure that PPE is used according to the equipment manufacturer's specifications and that items fit correctly to keep handlers adequately protected. All PPE should be inspected and checked for leaks, holes, tears, or worn areas prior to a day of use.

Handlers should also be provided with clean areas away from pesticide storage and application to store personal clothing, put on PPE at the start of an exposure period, and remove their PPE. Pesticide-contaminated PPE must be kept away from other clothing and laundry. Once PPE is cleaned (either according to manufacturer instructions or pesticide labeling, or in detergent and hot water if no such instructions exist), it should be thoroughly dried and stored separately from personal clothing and pesticide-contaminated areas.

Employers are responsible for informing personnel who clean or launder their PPE of all of the following details:

• That the PPE may be contaminated with pesticides
• That there are potentially harmful effects of exposure to pesticides
• How to protect themselves when handling contaminated PPE
• How to clean PPE correctly

To learn more about Pesticide Handler Safety visit our Pesticide Handler Safety Online Training web page.