Safety When Applying Pesticides

Who does pesticide safety concern?

Pesticide safety concerns a much wider group than the person who mixes and applies the product: the harvest crew working with treated plants, workers resting next to the pesticide store, the worker who washes the spraying equipment and the family who wash work clothes at home. The fields and orchards in Bursa’s lowland districts, greenhouses, nurseries and municipal parks and gardens departments are places where this risk is lived every day.

Every agricultural business employing workers is covered by Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety. The employer is obliged to treat spraying work as a separate heading in the risk assessment, to select the chemicals and protective equipment to be used according to that assessment (Art. 10) and to provide health surveillance for exposed workers (Art. 15). This article focuses on plant protection products; biocidal products used for pest control inside buildings are subject to separate rules.

Exposure routes: skin, inhalation and mouth

Pesticide poisoning first brings inhalation to mind, yet the most common route of entry is the skin. One drop of concentrated product carries more risk than a bucket of the diluted mixture.

Route	When does it happen?	Typical mistake	Measure
Skin	When opening, mixing the concentrated product or filling the tank; working in wet clothing; contact with treated leaves	Mixing with bare hands, short-sleeved clothing, carrying on working in a wet coverall	Chemical-resistant gloves and coverall; changing wet clothing immediately
Inhalation	Mist formed during spraying, dust formulations, spraying in enclosed spaces	Applying into the wind, working in a greenhouse without ventilation	Mask with the filter specified on the label; choosing windless hours
Mouth	Eating, drinking or smoking with contaminated hands; blowing out a blocked nozzle by mouth	Taking a break before the job is finished, decanting pesticide into water or drink bottles	No eating or drinking before washing hands; clearing the nozzle with a brush
Eyes	Splashes during mixing	Working without goggles	Goggles or face shield

Mixing and application: the riskiest minutes

The mixing stage, in which the concentrated product is handled, is the riskiest part of spraying. Follow this sequence for this stage:

Read the label. The dose, mixing method, required PPE, pre-harvest interval and first aid information are on the label. If there is a safety data sheet for the product, review it as well; for how to read it, see our article on the safety data sheet.
Choose the place. Prepare the mixture outdoors, on level ground, away from water sources, wells and areas where people are present.
Put on PPE before mixing. Gloves, goggles and apron are put on before mixing.
Use only measuring containers set aside for this job. Kitchen utensils and drink bottles are not used.
Do not overfill the tank. Stay with it while filling; overflowing mixture is a risk to both skin and the environment.
Rinse empty containers. Rinse empty containers three times and add the rinse water to the tank, puncture the container to prevent it being used for anything else, and hand it in at a collection point in line with local rules.

Spraying equipment is also a source of exposure. A leaking hose connection or a dripping knapsack sprayer soaks the operator’s back and legs for hours. Check the hoses, connections and tank lid before every application; clear a blocked nozzle with a brush or fine wire, wearing gloves. After application, clean the equipment in a place where the wash water will not reach water sources or drains. The person washing the equipment uses the same PPE as the operator.

During application, avoid windy hours and the hottest hours. Working in PPE in the heat increases heat stress, and sweating makes it easier for the skin to absorb the pesticide; cool morning hours are safer both for the worker and in terms of drift. Do not apply alone, but within an arrangement in which at least one other person is informed. For PTO shaft and rollover risks in tractor-mounted spraying, see our article on tractor accidents.

Spraying PPE

Spraying PPE is selected according to the label and the safety data sheet; the following is the general framework:

Gloves: Chemical-resistant, long-cuff nitrile or similar material. Cotton, leather and fabric gloves absorb the pesticide and prolong contact.
Coverall: Chemical protective coverall. Trouser legs stay over the boots; with hands down, the sleeve cuff goes over the glove, and when working above head height the glove goes over the sleeve cuff. The aim is to stop liquid running into gloves and boots.
Boots: Rubber or similar unlined boots.
Eyes and face: Goggles or a face shield during mixing.
Respiratory: A mask with the filter type specified on the label. Vapour requires a gas/vapour filter, mist and dust a particle filter, and most applications a combined filter joining the two. A dust mask does not protect against vapour. For filter selection, see our article on choosing PPE.

At the end of the job, gloves are washed before they are removed, then hands and face are washed with soap. Contaminated work clothes are not washed with household laundry. The cost of PPE may not be passed on to the worker; the basic administrative fine for 2026 for failing to provide suitable PPE is 8,980 TL per worker.

Waiting periods and re-entry after spraying

Two separate periods are confused with pesticides:

Pre-harvest interval: The time that must pass between the last spraying and harvest, written on the label. Its main purpose is to protect the person who will consume the produce.
Re-entry into the treated area: Protects the worker. If the label states a separate condition for re-entry, it is followed. If it does not, the area should not be entered without PPE at least until the sprayed mixture has dried and, in enclosed spaces, the air has been ventilated.

Pesticide storage

The pesticide store is one of the places in the business that must be most tightly controlled:

A separate, locked, ventilated room or cabinet to which only the authorised person has a key.
Away from food, feed, seed and drinking water; never in rest or accommodation areas.
In the original packaging with its label; no pesticide decanted into other containers is kept.
Liquid products on the lower shelves; shelves with lips or trays against spills.
Absorbent material, a shovel and a waste bag ready at the store entrance for spills.
If there are products with flammable solvents in the store, a suitable extinguisher and a “no smoking” sign.
An up-to-date stock list; in an emergency, the fire brigade and medical teams are told from this list which products are present.

The store is also part of the emergency plan. The plan should state in writing who will respond in the event of a fire or a large spill in the store, how the spilled product will be collected and where contaminated material will be placed. Telling the fire brigade responding to a fire which products are in the store is important for assessing the risk created by firefighting water and smoke.

Pesticide poisoning: signs and first response

Symptoms vary according to the type of product. Common ones are headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, excessive sweating and salivation, constricted pupils, blurred vision, muscle twitching, shortness of breath and clouded consciousness. These symptoms appearing on the day of spraying or the following day are treated as poisoning until shown otherwise. Remember that they can be confused with heatstroke.

In the first response:

Protecting yourself, move the person away from the treated area.
Remove contaminated clothing and wash the skin with plenty of soap and water.
If it has splashed into the eyes, rinse with clean water for at least 15 minutes.
Do not try to induce vomiting.
Call 112; the National Poison Information Centre can be reached on 114 for poisoning advice.
Give the product label or packaging to the medical team.

The number of first aiders in the business is set at one for every 20, 15 or 10 workers according to the hazard class; it should be planned that at least one first aider is on site on spraying days.

Health surveillance

People who spray and work in treated areas undergo examinations on recruitment and periodic examinations at intervals determined by the hazard class; the physician may shorten this interval. The workplace physician decides which tests are required according to the exposure and the products used. For example, for workers regularly handling products that affect the cholinesterase enzyme, the physician may request monitoring of this enzyme. We plan tests with authorised laboratories and health institutions.

Records are essential for health surveillance to work. A spraying logbook showing who sprayed on which day, with which product and for how many hours is the first document the physician will look at for a worker presenting with a complaint. Explain clearly in training that workers who experience symptoms such as headache, nausea or skin redness after spraying must report them without dismissing them; a worker who has been off work with suspected poisoning should be assessed by the physician before returning to the same job. Acute poisoning at the workplace is also treated as an occupational accident for notification purposes; occupational accidents are notified to the Social Security Institution (SGK) within three working days of the accident. For which incidents count as occupational accidents, see our article on situations treated as occupational accidents.

Pregnant and breastfeeding workers and workers under 18 are assessed separately for spraying work; for details, see our articles on pregnant and breastfeeding workers and child and young workers. Bursa Sistemer provides health surveillance and risk assessment services to businesses in Bursa and neighbouring provinces. For your minimum obligations, you can use the OHS obligations calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours after spraying can the field be entered?

If the label states a condition for re-entry, it is followed. If it does not, the area should not be entered without PPE at least until the sprayed mixture has dried and, in enclosed spaces, the air has been ventilated. The pre-harvest interval protects the consumer and is a separate period.

Is a dust mask enough for spraying?

Usually not. A dust mask does not protect against vapour and gas. A tight-fitting mask with the filter type specified on the label should be used.

Which number is called if poisoning is suspected?

In an emergency, call 112. For poisoning advice, contact the National Poison Information Centre on 114. Always give the product label or packaging to the medical team.

How should contaminated work clothes be washed?

They should be washed separately from household laundry and, if possible, at the workplace. Clothing soaked with concentrated product should not be reused even after washing and should be set aside as waste.