According to the recommendations of Good Plant Protection Practice, the security of the warehouse should be as follows:
- secured against access by third parties,
- labelled on the door as a plant protection/hazardous waste store and with hazard pictograms,
- have instructions on what to do in the event of an emergency.
The procedures for working with agrochemicals read as follows:
- when handling chemical preparations, always wear personal protective equipment, i.e. gloves, goggles, overalls,
- it is prohibited to mix hazardous waste of different types, to mix hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste, and to mix hazardous waste with substances, materials or objects, including the dilution of hazardous substances.” (source: Waste Act),
- safety instructions and emergency telephones should be displayed in a prominent place, preferably at the entrance to the warehouse,
- separate areas in the warehouse for:
- storing preparations in damaged packaging,
- storage of empty packaging,
- storage of contaminated materials,
- store plant protection products in a way that facilitates their easy identification,
- the risk of accidental poisoning of humans and animals must be reduced,
- do not store chemicals together with food, seeds or animal feed, fuels, lubricants and other flammable materials,
- plant protection products must not be stored together with protective clothing and other personal protective equipment,
- plant protection products must not be poured or transferred into food packaging so that they are not consumed by mistake,
- always need to be prepared to deal with the consequences of spills or spills of agrochemicals,
- plant protection product racking shelves should be made of non-absorbent materials with no sharp edges that can damage the packaging,
- when placing plant protection products on shelves, place powder and granular preparations above liquid ones. Packages can be placed in plastic or metal trays to collect any spills,
- must keep the necessary accessories to neutralise spills in a designated area, ready to use: paper towels, brush, dustpan, bucket with absorbent, plastic bags, container for contaminated materials,
- collect and safely manage spills immediately;
- do not flush spilled or spilled pesticides into municipal wastewater, only into closed water tanks for disposal,
- during a fire, call the fire brigade immediately and take measures that can reduce the effects of the fire,
- use of excessive water should be avoided to minimise run-off into watercourses, reservoirs and water intakes,
- contaminated debris and waste for safe management can only be collected by authorised services.
Handling spillages
Plant protection products in their highest concentration are stored in the warehouse. Be prepared to deal with the consequences of a spillage of plant protection products. Any spillage creates a high risk of local contamination. For this reason, every store should have a means of dealing with spillages. In the designated area, it is necessary to have the necessary accessories for neutralising spillages and dispersals at the ready: brush, dustpan, bucket with sand (or other absorbent such as vermiculite), plastic bags, container for contaminated materials. Protective clothing (overalls, gloves, rubber boots, mask, goggles) should be worn during decommissioning. The contaminated area should be sprinkled with absorbent material and collected. If the plant protection product has hit the soil, it is essential to collect it together with the contaminated soil layer to a depth of 5-10 cm. The contaminated material in a plastic bag or sealed container should be stored in the plant protection product store until it is safely managed. The rules for safe management of contaminated material depend on the quantity. For small quantities you can:
- spread them on the field where the harvested plant protection product is applied, over as large an area as possible, or
- deposit them on compost intended for at least one year’s storage, or
- deposit them in the slurry tank.
Larger quantities of contaminated materials should be handed over to specialist services for disposal.
Handling spillages
During a fire or flooding of a warehouse with water, it is important to act rationally and with caution, so:
- remove all unnecessary personnel and bystanders to a safe distance from the incident area so that they are on the downwind side,
- notify the fire brigade of the incident, inform them of the type of agents present in the warehouse – this information will allow the fire brigade to prepare properly for extinguishing the chemicals (appropriate clothing, respirators, antacids),
- allow access for the fire engine – remove unnecessary vehicles and equipment on the property.
The use of excessive water should be avoided to minimise run-off into watercourses, reservoirs and water intakes. Contaminated debris and waste should be collected for safe management by authorised services.
The greatest risks relating to the storage of plant protection products are linked to fire, which can occur inside or outside the warehouse. Flooding or inundation with rainwater are also dangerous, which can lead to the uncontrolled spread of stored products and serious environmental contamination. It is advisable to equip the warehouse with:
- powder extinguisher – remember that you can only put out a fire with an extinguisher in its first stage. Extinguish gradually by closing the fire area from the outside to the inside, never the other way around as this risks spreading the fire,
- fire blanket – enabling a small fire source to be extinguished by choking off the air supply.