Pesticide storage - are you covered?

Date published: 27 February 2019

Suppliers storing pesticides for sale or supply must hold a BASIS Certificate of Competence.

A pesticide store

The ‘Code of practice for suppliers of pesticides to agriculture, horticulture and forestry’ backed up by the 2012 introduction of the ‘Sustainable Use Directive’, states that there are continued requirements for the storage, handling and disposals of pesticides.

There is a continued requirement to take reasonable precautions and ‘for those storing products for placing on the market, ensuring that the staff have undergone a nominated storekeeping course or an equivalent qualification’.

The training offered by CAFRE for this qualification includes both classroom training and practical exercises. The course aims to equip Nominated Store Keepers (NSK) to meet the standards of pesticide storage laid down in the ‘Code of practice’ by identifying the basis principals of good store keeping, the accountabilities of the NSK, relevant points of the legislation and the responsibilities under the health and safety at work order.

A two day NSK course will be held at CAFRE (Greenmount campus) on the 2 and 3 of April 2019.

For more information and enrolment, please visit the CAFRE website or call the Industry training team on: 028 9442 6880.

Trainee View:

Myles McGeown of JF McKenna in Armagh who completed the NSK course says: “I learned a lot on the course from the basic tips of storing liquids below powders and what to do about spillages to issues on first aid for those contaminated with pesticide. The course also brought home to me the limited environmental impact sprays have if they are handled correctly.”

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