PESTICIDE POLICY

Title 3, California Code of Regulations (CCR), Section 6600 et. seq. California Food and Agriculture Code, Division 6, Chapters 1-10 California Health and Safety Code, Section 1803.

United States Environmental Protection Agency California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health San Bernardino County Agricultural Commissioner.

Due to the diversity and size of the CSUSB campus there are operations and processes that require pesticide application. It is only for this on-campus maintenance purpose that pesticides will be used.

The provisions of this policy are meant to apply to all employees who work with pesticides including those who handle, mix, formulate, transfer, store, apply or in any other way come into contact with pesticides.

5.01 California State University, San Bernardino continually strives to maintain a working environment in which productivity is encouraged and enhanced through safe working conditions brought about by effective training and well conceived operating procedures.

 5.02 Employees are expected to comply with policies and guidelines established to promote safe work practices.

6.01 Employees who work with pesticides will be able to establish and implement safe pesticide handling practices.

6.02 The campus community will continue to benefit from pest control activities while experiencing little or no risk from these activities because of the safe, conscientious way in which the activities are carried out.

7.01 University Administration

The campus President has ultimate responsibility for establishing and maintaining effective policies regarding environmental health and safety within the institution and should, with other administrators provide continuing support for safe work practices involving pesticides. Policies which govern the activities and responsibilities of the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) programs are thereby established under the final authority of the President.

7.02 Supervisors

Persons supervising the use and handling of pesticides must provide a safe workplace and require the employee to follow safe work practices. Supervising Grounds Maintenance Workers must inform employees of pesticide safety hazards and pesticide safety regulations applicable to all activities to be performed. Supervisors will confirm that employees have had appropriate training prior to assigning employees to perform tasks involving the use of pesticides.

8.01 Employees who work with pesticides will be given adequate training in the use of pesticides. This training will be given before the employee begins to handle pesticides. The training shall be such that each employee who handles pesticides understands, for each pesticide to be used:

1. The immediate and long term hazards involved, including the hazards associated with exposure to pesticides with known or suspected chronic effects, as identified in Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's), pesticide labeling and/or Pesticide Safety Information Series leaflets;
2. The safety procedures to be followed, engineering controls to be used, and the clothing and protective equipment to be used;
3. Tthe procedures for handling non-routine tasks or emergency situations, the ways poisoning or injury from pesticides can occur, the importance of immediate decontamination of skin and eyes when exposure occurs, the common symptoms of pesticide poisoning, and where to obtain emergency medical treatment;
4. The purposes and requirements of medical monitoring;
5. Applicable laws, regulations, MSDS's, Pesticide Safety Information Series leaflets and label requirements;
6. The employee's rights, including the right:

1. to personally receive information regarding pesticides to which they may be exposed;
2. for employee's physician or employee representative to receive information regarding pesticides to which the employee may be exposed; and,
3. against discharge or other discrimination due to their exercise of rights.

8.02 Training will be completed before the employee is allowed to handle pesticides, continually updated to cover any new pesticides that will be handled, and repeated at least annually thereafter.

8.03 Training will be documented and all records will be maintained for at least two years (see Training Documentation Form Appendix A).

9.01 Emergency medical care will be provided by:

9.02 If a supervisor suspects that an employee has a pesticide illness or when an exposure to a pesticide has occurred that might reasonably be expected to lead to an employee's illness, the supervisor will immediately ensure that the employee is taken to a physician.

10.01 Employees will be provided with all necessary protective clothing and safety equipment prior to working with pesticides. All safety equipment and personal protective equipment will be maintained clean and in good repair. Personal protective equipment will be stored clean in a specially designated place or locker when not in use.

10.02 Eye protection shall be worn by all employees handling pesticides. Unless otherwise specified on the pesticide container label the eye protection must provide front, brow, and temple protection; goggles and full faceshields are preferred.

10.03 Appropriate gloves are required to be used when handling any pesticide, except when the pesticide container label specifies that gloves must not be worn.

10.04 If the label of the pesticide to be used indicates that waterproof or impervious pants and coat should be worn when handling the pesticide the employee will be required to wear a full chemical resistant coverall so that the entire ensemble of personal protective clothing covers and protects the torso, head, arms, legs, hands and feet.

11.01 The University will provide appropriate respiratory protective equipment and require use of such equipment when pesticide product labeling or regulations require respiratory protection (see Respiratory Protection Program).

11.02 Respiratory protection is required to be worn by an employee whenever an employee performs a task that may expose him or her to harmful dusts, fogs, mists, gases, sprays, vapors, or any other airborne hazard. Respiratory protection will be used whenever it is necessary to maintain employee exposure below an applicable recognized exposure standard.

11.03 The type of respiratory protection required will be that indicated on the manufacturers label attached to the pesticide container or the MSDS for the pesticide. If there is an uncertainty about the type of respiratory protection required the pesticide will not be used until the supervisor has been consulted.

11.04 All employees who may be required to wear respiratory protective equipment will be trained in the selection, fitting, use, limitations, cleaning and inspection of any respiratory protective equipment they may be required to wear. Employees will receive initial training and at least yearly refresher training.

11.05 Respirator equipment used must be currently approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and/or the Mine Safety and Health Administration for the specific chemical and exposure condition.

11.06 All respiratory protective equipment will be repaired or replaced whenever required due to wear, damage, or deterioration.

11.07 All employees who are required to wear a respirator will be informed that certain medical conditions may interfere with effectively wearing and using a respirator. Employees will be required to sign a statement (Appendix B) that indicates they are aware of no condition that would prevent them from wearing a respirator. If the employee thinks he or she may have a condition that would affect the wearing of a respirator that employee must have an exam by a physician to determine if the employee is capable of wearing a respirator. The University will follow the physician's written recommendation concerning the employee's ability to wear respirator. All statements and physician's recommendations will be kept on file.

11.08 All respirators not in use will be stored in a way that protects them from dust, sunlight, extreme temperatures, excessive moisture, or damaging chemicals.

12.01 The University will provide clean work clothes (either coveralls or long sleeve shirt and trousers) to employees whenever they are required to handle pesticides that have a signal word of "DANGER" or "WARNING" on the label. The University will provide cleaning and maintenance of the work clothes.

12.02 Employees who will be using pesticides with "WARNING" or "DANGER" labels will wear clean work clothes each day. Employees will change out of their University supplied work clothes at the end of each day or sooner if they finish using pesticides. Employees will wash completely at the end of the day or the shift in which they used pesticides.

12.03 Employees will in no event take University supplied work clothes home. The clothes may contain pesticide residues and must be handled in an appropriate manner.

12.04 Clean water, soap, and towels for routine washing of hands and face, and for emergency washing of the entire body will be maintained in the Facilities Services area where the mixing or loading of pesticides with a "DANGER" or "WARNING" label is done.

13.01 All pesticide containers must have an appropriate label. Pesticide containers obtained from a manufacturer or distributor must have, at a minimum, the following information:

1. The name, brand, or trademark under which the material is sold;
2. The name and address of the producer or distributor;
3. The net contents of the material;
4. The EPA Product Registration Number;
5. The manufacturer or producer EPA Establishment Registration Number;
6. A statement of ingredients;
7. Warnings and precautionary statements including toxicity, hazards to environment or animals, physical or chemical hazards, protective equipment to be used;
8. Directions for use.

13.02 Service containers or containers in which pesticides have been mixed or diluted for use will contain at least the minimum information any time a pesticide has been introduced into the container (see "Labeling" in the Hazard Communication Program).

1. The name and address of person responsible for the container;
2. The identity of the pesticide in the container;
3. The signal word "DANGER", "WARNING", or "CAUTION" in accordance with the label on the original container;
4. The date of formulation or dilution.

14.01 Storage of pesticides will be done in a manner that prevents the inadvertent release of pesticides to the environment, the access of pesticides by unauthorized persons, or the exposure to pesticides during or after an emergency.

14.02 All storage areas must be securely locked when not in use. All doors to the area in which pesticides are stored will be posted with a sign, readable from a distance of 25 feet, that contains the following wording:

• DANGER
• POISON STORAGE AREA
• ALL UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS KEEP OUT
• KEEP DOOR LOCKED WHEN NOT IN USE.

14.03 Floor drains, floor sinks, or other plumbing devices that may carry released pesticides or pesticide contaminated water from the area should be modified to prevent the entry of unwanted or contaminated liquids.

14.04 Adequate lighting must be provided to all pesticide storage areas.

14.05 Ventilation will be provided to all pesticide storage areas to prevent the accumulation of airborne pesticide residuals. If a strong odor of pesticides is evident in a storage area the ventilation must be adjusted or modified to provide for more air change in the area.

14.06 Floors and shelves should be made impervious to prevent the adsorption of pesticide residuals. Wood shelves or floors should be kept painted or sealed. Porous concrete or asphalt floors should be sealed in pesticide storage areas.

14.07 Open bags of pesticides must be enclosed in a secondary container (heavy plastic bag or bucket is sufficient). If the primary container of a pesticide is damaged or rusted or in some other way cannot adequately the pesticide a secondary container must be provided to store the pesticide. All secondary containers of pesticides must be labeled with at least the following:

1. Name and address of person responsible for the container;
2. The identity of the pesticide in the container;
3. The signal word "DANGER", "WARNING", or "CAUTION" in accordance with the label on the original container.

14.08 Pesticides should not be stored on floors or in aisles.

14.09 All containers which hold pesticides or have held pesticides (prior to triple rinsing) must be labeled in the appropriate manner. All containers shall have lids securely attached and tightened except during immediate use. At no time will any pesticide be stored in a container that is commonly used for food, drink, or household product.

14.10 Pesticides will not be transported in the same compartment with persons, food, or feed.

14.11 Pesticide containers will be secured during transportation to prevent them from spilling. Containers will be protected from excessive heat or rain.

14.12 Empty containers that have held diluted pesticides will be triple rinsed prior to storage or disposal.

15.01 Pesticide application records will be prepared and maintained for at least two years. The application records will include the following information (see Appendix C):

1. Date of application;
2. Location of property treated;
3. Type of pest or area treated;
4. Total area treated;
5. Pesticide used, including the EPA or state registration number;
6. Amount of pesticide used.

15.02 A monthly report summary of pesticide use will be sent to the county agricultural commissioner. The report will be made on the form created by the state and reproduced in Appendix D.

16.01 If an employee handles a pesticide with a signal word of "DANGER" or "WARNING" during any part of the day for six or more days in any thirty consecutive day period a written agreement will be obtained by the University with a physician stating that the physician has agreed to provide medical supervision as outlined in Title 3, CCR, Section 6728.

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