QS-Report-OGK-1-2020-EN-Gesamt-FB-1

QS-Report Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes | Issue May 2020 QS-Report Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes In order to effectively protect your own health and that of employees during and after the application of plant protection products, suita- ble protective equipment is cru- cial. The safe use of plant protec- tion products, the use of suitable protective equipment and compli- ance with reentry rules in accord- ance with legal requirements and manufacturer‘s instructions are central components of applica- tion safet y in plant protection in the QS guidelines for the pro- duction of fruit, vegetables and potatoes. Users of plant protec- tion products and persons carry- ing out follow-up work in treated crops may come into direct contact with plant protection products. When plant protection products are approved, it is determined which personal protective equip- ment (PPE) must be used for users when working directly with plant protection products and for work- ers carr ying out follow-up work in treated crops. The PPE regula- tions are noted on the packaging or in separate instructions for use for each plant protection product. REGULATIONS FOR USER PROTEC- TION MUST BE OBSERVED The German Federal Office of Con- sumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), as the licensing authority for plant protection products, has increased its focus on the special importance of health protection. Since May 2018, certain require- ments that reduce risks to the health of users, workers and unin- volved third parties to an accept- able level have been established as application regulations. Any violations of application regula- tions may be considered adminis- trative offences by the competent state authorities and subject to a fine. As a result of the EU Con- trol Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/625) which was enacted last year, the implementation of legal requirements for the use of plant protection products and user pro- tection is now also monitored with- out prior notification. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIP- MENT DEPENDS ON THE PLANT PROTECT ION PRODUCTS USED AND THE TYPE OF APPLICATION In order to minimize the health risk to humans when handling plant protection products, long work- ing clothes and sturdy shoes must always be worn. In addition, BVL may prescribe the use of protective suits, gloves, aprons and head, eye, breathing and foot protection, depending on the plant protection product used and the type of appli- cation. If only the front part of the body is likely to come into contact with the plant protection product, for example when preparing the spray liquid, a prescribed protec- tive suit can be replaced by a com- bination of work clothing with a suitable sleeve apron. This way, in most cases a combination of work clothing, sturdy shoes with sleeve apron, protective gloves and a face shield can be used to meet the legal requirements when pre- paring the spray liquid and when filling the application equipment. Users seated in a tightly sealed driver‘s cab with air conditioning and supply air filtration are usually only required to wear work clothing and sturdy shoes as standard protec- tion. All details of the regulations on the protective effect of driver‘s cabs as a substitute for mandatory PPE were published by BVL in a technical bulletin in January 2020. Important information and practical tips on proper user protection can be found on the BVL website: FAQs on application regulations for health protection (LINK see below). The FAQs, only available in German, provide further information, e.g. on the use of sleeve aprons in plant protection. In addition, BVL maintains an up-to-date list of personal protective equipment for plant protection available on the market: www.bvl.bund.de/EN/Tasks/04_Plant_protection_ products/04_Users/03_PersonalProtectiveEquip- ment/ppp_users_PPE_node.html Link to the FAQs for Application safety: https://www.bvl.bund.de/DE/Arbeitsbereiche/04_ Pflanzenschutzmittel/04_Anwender/06_FAQ/02_ FAQ_AWBGesundheitsschutz/FAQ_AWBGesund- heitsschutz_node.html Information on user protection available online. Application safety Using plant protection products safely and staying healthy Appropriate protective clothing is important to ensure that no harmful components of plant protection products are absorbed