Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals

OSHA has revised its Hazard Communication Standard to align with the United Nations globally harmonized system of classification and labeling of chemicals. This will change the labeling elements of hazardous material labels and the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), now called Safety Data Sheets(SDS), and the information the labels will contain. The revised standards require employers to train their employees by December 1, 2013. There are a set of required topics that employees must be trained in. Training on label elements must include: product identifier, signal word, pictogram, hazard statement, precautionary statement(s), and chemical manufacturer, distributor, or importer contact information. Training on how an employee might use the labels in the workplace(e.g., to properly store the materials, or for first aid emergencies), and a general understanding of how the elements work together on a label (e.g., if a chemical has multiple hazards, different pictograms are used). Training on the format of the SDS must include information on: standardized 16-section format, how the information on the label is related to the SDS. Remember that OSHA requires employers to present information in a manner and language that their employees can understand. OSHA has a website for more information and training materials to train your employees. You can visit http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/index.html If you would like to participate in a training, Susan Haddock will be conducting classes here at the Extension Office for more information please visit her website. http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/prohort/index.shtml or call 813-744-5519.

Pesticide Safety Posters

Pesticide safety is always a concern around the farm or nursery.  Training employees to do the job right the first time is the best way to keep people safe and out of trouble.  While it is always important to read and follow labels there may be points that might need more clarification.  Here is a series of pesticide applicator topic posters to help refresh ideas for veteran pesticide applicators or are a good reference tool for new applicators.  The posters include scanable quick response (QR) codes for smart phones with links to short instructional videos. Here is a link to the entire list of topics  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_series_pesticide_safety_miniposters

If you would like to look at individual posters here is a list of them with their links.
Apply the Correct Amount  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN959
IPM:  Beyond Spraying  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN928
Daily Personal Care  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN956
Labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN958
Pest Control Vehicle Safety  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN963
Pesticide Emergencies  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN954
Pesticide Formulations  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN955
Pesticide Spill Control  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN961
Protecting Yourself  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN960
Triple Rinse Steps  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN962
Not all the poster apply to nursery setting and these are not the mandatory Worker Protection Standard poster but there might be some that you find useful for your employees. Click and take a look.

Under the Heat

Here is a publication from UF/IFAS Extension about staying hydrated in hot working conditions such as the ones we face out at the nursery or farm.  This might be a good reference to hand to new hires or for a safety training meeting especially those who are new to agricultural employment.  Click on the link to get more information.  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1325

A Bright Idea for Lightning Protection

I came across Dr. Richard Beeson's field research site while taking a class called Plant Water Relations. I spoke with him about lightning protection at his site with all his solenoids and data collection devices going out to his field. He explained he uses a small device that is wired from any wires or controllers coming from the field. The component is called a varistor. It is similar to a fuse and is wired to a grounding strip. If a lightning bolt is nearby and there is a voltage spike traveling back from the field the voltage spike will encounter the varistor. If the voltage spike is higher than the rating on the varistor it will automatically shunt the power to the grounding strip. In a direct lightning strike it probably will not protect you. Lightning is so unpredictable. But from a nearby lightening strike and power surge it would probably do the job of protecting your equipment. For more information than you probably care to know, here is a link about varistors and their use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varistor they cost about $0.05-$0.10 each and you will need one for each wire coming back from the solenoids in your field. 

In order to show a better picture of what I'm talking about I've included a short video of the setup. Here's the link to click to watch the video: http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/Ag/AgOrnProd/Video/LightningVideo.html

If you happen to watch this video, post a comment on what you think about this new format for learning about new things from Extension.

More Freeze Warnings

These last few weeks of pumping water for our freeze protection are taking their toll. Not just with a lack of sleep but with a drawdown of the water table in our area from all the agricultural pumping. There are some wells running dry and sinkholes forming as well as some accidents attributed from icy roads from sprinklers.

It looks like the majority of the growers I have talked with in our area are making it through with minimal damage. We will need to see how the plants look in a few weeks to see if they made it through.

Here is another letter from Hugh Gramling about the issues surrounding the water pumping and what growers of the TBWG should do.

I hope you survived the freeze(s) and are finally planning on a good night’s sleep. You deserve it.

We now are entering the aftermath of the extended cold period. SWFWMD has had over 70 complaints yesterday of dry wells caused by agricultural pumping. Water use permit holders are responsible for any damages which occur to their neighbors and their wells. If you are notified of a neighbor’s complaint, please do the following:

1) Immediately respond to SWFWMD that you will look into the complaint.
2) Within 36 hours contact the person who filed the complaint and let them know you are looking into it. Don’t agree you caused the problem unless you are ready to assume the financial responsibility.
3) To the best of your ability, make sure you were pumping during the periods involved and there is no one closer than you to the neighbor.
4) SWFWMD will help you identify wells in your area.
5) Call me if you need to check any items and don’t get the responses you need.

If you caused the damage (or might have), be a good neighbor and take care of it promptly.

Another issue which came up during the last few nights of the freeze is unintended consequences of pumping. There were at least two accidents caused by ice building up on the road outside an agricultural operation. The farmer will be liable for such actions.

I know you are busy during freezes but please make sure you don’t have irrigation drift onto road, you don’t have sprinklers which hit road surfaces and the runoff of your property is not filling ditches and getting on the roads.

Let's hope that it warms up soon!

A Clean Sweep

Ever see those commercials with the catchy phrase "Want to get away?" That is the last thing you want experience when being inspected by WPS inspectors. Especially when they are asking you, "What is that unmarked chemical in the corner with the ripped bag?"

Why not just get rid of it. Operation Clean Sweep will help. Just fill out the form and schedule a pick up. It is that easy. Here is the link to find out more and the form to fill out to get on the pickup list. Any unwanted, mislabeled, out of date, or unneeded pesticides can be removed from your operation and the environment. That will be one less thing to worry about on the WPS inspection checklist.

http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/Ag/AgOrnProd/CalendarPubs/CleanSweep2009.pdf

Tree Producer Information-Part I

There seems to be a lot of information lately coming out to help tree growers. I will publish a two part series of articles related to the latest releases.

Safety and Tree Farms

Thankfully, I have never seen a serious accident in the ten years I spent working in or around tree farms. I have seen some actions that could have turned out badly but usually these were corrected in time before matters got complicated. The worst was the puller who thought that he had pesticide injury. He was shaking, sweating, his heart was racing, and he felt a bit dizzy. After questioning we found that he had drank three Red Bulls for breakfast and was experiencing caffeine overdose. Fortunately, we knew that we were following the rules and we had a hard time believing that he had been exposed to pesticides. It helps to have policy and procedures in place to suppress accidents before they happen and eliminate potential problems with lawsuits if something were to happen.

There are two new publications from UF/IFAS Dr. Carol J. Lehtola, Charles M. Brown, and Hilary Hartzell from the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department that helps tree growers implement a safety plan for their operation. The two publications are "Manager's Toolkit for Creating a Safety Program for your Tree Nursery Operation” and “Safety Policies and Procedures for a Tree Nursery Operation” which is a PowerPoint presentation. These both can be found at the following website:

http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu/csp/tree-nursery/index.html

The later is a nice presentation for using with new employees and safety meausures with different equipment.

The IFAS Pesticide Information Office

IFAS has a great resource for growers who might need information pertaining to pesticide use and safety. The UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office's website is a great resource to bookmark for use some day in the future. There are links on their site to topics such as pesticide laws, fact sheets, and their newsletter "Chemically Speaking." They also have links to sites where you can download MSDS sheets and chemical labels that you need for the Worker Protection Standards. If you are wondering what else you need to pass an inspection with the Worker Protection Stardard, they have the answers in a one-stop-shop. You can scroll through topic by topic to see if you meet all the requirements necessary. Also if you need CEU's in a hurry for you licence, you can download them from the UF/IFAS site and get online credit with their modules. By far, the most useful information they have are the links to the EDIS (Electronic Data Information Service) fact sheets and publications. There is a wealth of information on here and it would be well worth your time just to spend a few minutes checking it out to see what they have available. Here is the link: http://pested.ifas.ufl.edu/.

Hurricane Disaster Preparation

If a hurricane was barreling up the bay or across the state with devastating winds and rains, would you be able to say to yourself, "My business and family are as prepared as I could possibly be for this event."? Obviously planning is an extremely important necessity before the storm approaches. It is always amazing to me that we know when a hurricane is approaching and if it is severe enough we know it will be causing millions and millions of dollars in damage when it hits land. Yet many people take this fact extremely lightly.

I will share some of the small tips I learned when preparing for storms:
-Always have spare greenhouse plastic on hand and order it in advance of a storm season.
-Have everything backed up on computers. Customer lists, inventory, payables, receivables, and take that information with you to a secure place.
-Have employee contact information up to date.
-Make sure everyone has a plan, a job, and know who is responsible for what.
-Irrigate before a storm to help hold pots or trays to the ground.
-Make sure generators and back up electrical parts are ready to go.
-Cut or remove the plastic from greenhouses if high winds will be present.
-There is never enough time to prepare the way you would like to in a disaster. Because of the unpredictable nature of a storm, we always wait until the last minute to start getting ready.

If you have a great tip you have learned please share it with the rest of us.

Here are some important links for disaster preparation from UF/IFAS.

The farmer and rancher hurricane and preparedness page-- http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/agriculture/hurricane_prep_ag.html
The hurricane page --http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_hurricanes
The disaster and preparedness page --http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_disaster_preparedness_and_recovery

There are many links to follow on those two pages and they are a great reference source. If you have any important ideas about this topic please post a response and share with the rest of your fellow nursery community.

The Health of Ag Farmers and Families

Have you ever wondered if farmers are more apt to get chronic illnesses from applying pesticides? Well here is a study that looks at pesticide applicators versus the non farm population. Dr. Fred Fishel has summarized the findings of the Ag Health Study which has looked at this question for some years.

The study is being conducted in Iowa and N. Carolina and with collaboration between the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The study has looked at 89,000 participants to investigate the effects of environmental, occupational, dietary, and genetic factors on the health of the agricultural population.


Some of the findings are that farm families had more pesticide residue within the home than non-farm families. This suggests that farmers or their families are bringing pesticides into the homes via contact with pesticides or material that has contacted the pesticides.


Another study connected diabetes to those who used seven pesticides: aldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, dichlorvos, trichlorfon, alachlor, and cyanazine. The study also reaffirms the link between obesity and diabetes.


Although some of the findings are not good, it was found that farmers are generally healthier than their non-farming counterparts and farmers have a lower risk of colrectal cancer.

I believe that as farmers we should try to find ways to better protect the health of our selves, families, and communities. Use this information to minimize contact with pesticides, follow the label for proper pesticide use, use BMPs, follow restricted entry intervals, and protective equipment. And just food for thought...you might want to kick off your shoes before entering into your house. This simple step might prevent pesticides associated with soil from entering into your home. For more information on this topic, here is the link to the IFAS EDIS summary is http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/PI/PI21600.pdf and the link to the agricultural health study is http://aghealth.nci.nih.gov/.