Personal protective equipment for crop protection

When working with crop protection products, it is important that you wear the correct personal protection equipment. Unprotected working with crop protection products can lead to health risks, for example if your skin is in contact with the product or if you inhale the product. But also when working at height you wear personal protective equipment, only in the form of fall protection. In short: you can protect yourself against certain dangers and risks in various ways. That's why our specialist provides several tips for using personal protection equipment when spraying.
Personal protective equipment
Leonie van Rooijen
Product specialist Crop Protection | December 4, 2020 | 4 min. reading time

Different personal protective equipment per crop protection equipment

In the horticultural sector, personal protective equipment is used in particular for work with hazardous substances, such as crop protection products and liquid fertilisers. Specific personal protective equipment is required for each substance, such as gloves, spray overalls, spray masks, safety goggles and boots. Which personal protection equipment you should wear can be found in the safety data sheet (Section 8: 'Exposure controls/personal protection'), but you can also consult the Bayer Cropscience Dresscode website. The personal protection equipment is divided into gloves, spray overalls, masks and boots.

Gloves as personal protective equipment

  • Always wear neoprene or nitrile rubber gloves. Latex, leather and fabric gloves do not protect against crop protection products. 
  • Never use uncleaned gloves. 
  • Long cuffed gloves reduce the risk of skin contact by more than 80%.
  • Wear the cuffs of the gloves in your spray overalls (in other words, pull the sleeves of the spray overall over the cuffs of the gloves).
  • After spraying you should clean the gloves with soap and water (preferably use disposable gloves to avoid the risk of contamination of the inside).  

Spray overalls as personal protective equipment

  • Always use a liquid-tight spray overall with an elastic band in the cuffs and trouser legs, a hood and a flap at the zippers. Note: a rain suit does not suffice, because it does not provide sufficient protection and does not fit around the wrists and waist. 
  • Check your spray overalls for cracks, holes or other imperfections before use.
  • After the spraying you should clean the spray overalls (but preferably use a disposable overall, to prevent the risk of contamination of the inside). 

Masks as personal protective equipment

  • Choose a mask that is suitable for the work you are going to do.
  • Check in advance that the mask closes properly. 
  • Use the correct filter. Also write the date of commissioning on the filter. When carrying out the spraying, make sure that you do not exceed the useful life of the filter (maximum 8 hours). 
  • When using a half face mask, make sure you have good eye protection. 

Boots as personal protective equipment

  • Wear neoprene or nitrile rubber boots. These substances are impermeable to liquids and chemical pesticides. 
  • Check your boots for cracks, internal contamination, or other imperfections before use.
  • Do not put the trouser legs of your spray overalls into your boots but pull them over your boots. This will prevent the liquid from entering the boot. 
  • After spraying, take the boots off and clean thoroughly.

Sequence of attracting personal protective equipment

The best order to put the personal protective equipment on: first the gloves, then the overall and hood, rubber boots, mask and filter and any eye protection. Take it off in the reverse order, so first the eye protection, then the mask and the filter, boots, overall and gloves. After use, close the filter again with plugs, then note the service life on the filter and dismantle the spray mask.

Provide crop protection equipment

As an employer, you are obliged to make personal crop protection equipment available to employees free of charge. You also need to inform your employees about the use and maintenance of personal protective equipment.
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Can't find your answer? Fill out the contact form and our specialist Leonie van Rooijen will get back to you. On weekdays, even within 24 hours.

Personal protective equipment for crop protection

When working with crop protection products, it is important that you wear the correct personal protection equipment. Unprotected working with crop protection products can lead to health risks, for example if your skin is in contact with the product or if you inhale the product. But also when working at height you wear personal protective equipment, only in the form of fall protection. In short: you can protect yourself against certain dangers and risks in various ways. That's why our specialist provides several tips for using personal protection equipment when spraying.
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Leonie van Rooijen
Leonie van Rooijen
Product specialist Crop Protection | December 4, 2020 | 4 min. reading time
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Personal protective equipment
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Different personal protective equipment per crop protection equipment

In the horticultural sector, personal protective equipment is used in particular for work with hazardous substances, such as crop protection products and liquid fertilisers. Specific personal protective equipment is required for each substance, such as gloves, spray overalls, spray masks, safety goggles and boots. Which personal protection equipment you should wear can be found in the safety data sheet (Section 8: 'Exposure controls/personal protection'), but you can also consult the Bayer Cropscience Dresscode website. The personal protection equipment is divided into gloves, spray overalls, masks and boots.

Gloves as personal protective equipment

  • Always wear neoprene or nitrile rubber gloves. Latex, leather and fabric gloves do not protect against crop protection products. 
  • Never use uncleaned gloves. 
  • Long cuffed gloves reduce the risk of skin contact by more than 80%.
  • Wear the cuffs of the gloves in your spray overalls (in other words, pull the sleeves of the spray overall over the cuffs of the gloves).
  • After spraying you should clean the gloves with soap and water (preferably use disposable gloves to avoid the risk of contamination of the inside).  

Spray overalls as personal protective equipment

  • Always use a liquid-tight spray overall with an elastic band in the cuffs and trouser legs, a hood and a flap at the zippers. Note: a rain suit does not suffice, because it does not provide sufficient protection and does not fit around the wrists and waist. 
  • Check your spray overalls for cracks, holes or other imperfections before use.
  • After the spraying you should clean the spray overalls (but preferably use a disposable overall, to prevent the risk of contamination of the inside). 

Masks as personal protective equipment

  • Choose a mask that is suitable for the work you are going to do.
  • Check in advance that the mask closes properly. 
  • Use the correct filter. Also write the date of commissioning on the filter. When carrying out the spraying, make sure that you do not exceed the useful life of the filter (maximum 8 hours). 
  • When using a half face mask, make sure you have good eye protection. 

Boots as personal protective equipment

  • Wear neoprene or nitrile rubber boots. These substances are impermeable to liquids and chemical pesticides. 
  • Check your boots for cracks, internal contamination, or other imperfections before use.
  • Do not put the trouser legs of your spray overalls into your boots but pull them over your boots. This will prevent the liquid from entering the boot. 
  • After spraying, take the boots off and clean thoroughly.

Sequence of attracting personal protective equipment

The best order to put the personal protective equipment on: first the gloves, then the overall and hood, rubber boots, mask and filter and any eye protection. Take it off in the reverse order, so first the eye protection, then the mask and the filter, boots, overall and gloves. After use, close the filter again with plugs, then note the service life on the filter and dismantle the spray mask.

Provide crop protection equipment

As an employer, you are obliged to make personal crop protection equipment available to employees free of charge. You also need to inform your employees about the use and maintenance of personal protective equipment.
Related products
Contact form
Can't find your answer? Fill out the contact form and our specialist Leonie van Rooijen will get back to you. On weekdays, even within 24 hours.
Leonie van Rooijen
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