Storage, Transport, Spill Response, and Disposal
Storage and transport
Candidates must know the storage requirements: a secure, locked, ventilated structure not subject to flooding, with pesticides kept off the floor on shelves, away from food, feed, seed, livestock and personal protective equipment, and separated from fertilizers and flammables as directed. Keep products in original labelled containers; never store in beverage containers. Maintain an inventory and keep the newest products rotated. Traps: storing products in a vehicle or shed that freezes, and assuming a mixed product can be stored indefinitely.
For transport, know that containers must be secured, upright and separated from food and passengers, that the vehicle should carry a spill kit and the product labels or safety data sheets, and that a spill during transport must be contained and reported as required. Learn the three-step spill response: protect people (stop, warn, put on PPE), contain the spill (dyke with absorbent, cover drains), then clean up and dispose of the material according to the label and local rules. Never hose a spill into a drain.
Disposal and triple rinsing
Understand container disposal: triple rinse or pressure rinse, add rinsate to the spray tank, puncture or crush containers as directed, and deliver to a designated collection program. Know that surplus product and rinse water are wastes requiring proper disposal, not dumping.
Rule of thumb: if a spill can reach a drain, a well or surface water, contain it first and call for advice; do not dilute it into the environment.
Worked example: a jug tips over on a driveway. Correct sequence: put on gloves and eye protection, keep people back, cover the spill with absorbent, sweep it up into a labelled container, avoid washing residue into the storm drain, then dispose of the absorbent as directed and record the incident.