The month of February is designated as National Pesticide Safety Education Month. Pesticide safety is rarely at the forefront of someone’s mind, sometimes even those who are applying pesticides, but it is an important responsibility. Many who have their certified pesticide applicators license know about safety, but a reminder never hurts and EVERYONE who works with or near pesticides should think about it.
This month’s blogs will be 2 times a week to celebrate pesticide safety. To start we will look at perhaps the MOST important part of pesticide safety…The Label! Just about anyone who has been through training knows the phrase “The label is the law!”. While this phrase is true and being legal is always a good idea, a label is more than just a list of rules. It is the 2nd most important safety tool available to pesticide applicators.
You might be thinking “Wait, second most, I thought you said it was the most???” A label is very important, but without someone reading and understanding the label it is little more than folded up paper. This series will focus on the parts of a label, what they mean and WHY they are organized the way that they are. If someone can read and understand a label, any label, then safety and efficacy are not far behind.
Stay tuned all month and learn about pesticide labels and more importantly pesticide safety. Even though a label is important and reading it is a requirement and great idea, perhaps the following quote from Jeff Cooper (U.S. Marines) puts it best “Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hand.”
Additional Resource: https://pesticidestewardship.org/national-pesticide-safety-education-month/
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