Pesticides: code of practice for using plant protection products in Scotland

Annex I: things to consider when using pesticides in high-security or high-risk amenity and industrial areas

79 You should take special care when applying pesticides in areas such as railways, gas and electricity plants, Ministry of Defence sites, oil refineries, public roads and motorways. This is because of the increased dangers at these sites and the need to take any extra safety precautions demanded at the site.

If you are supervising work on high-risk sites, you should fully understand:

• what work has to be done
• how and when to contact the site's liaison officer
• the local risks
• the safety precautions you must take as a result of the local risks (when working on public roads this will include meeting the road traffic regulations)

80 You may also need to consider the following:

• access to the site may be restricted to specific times, and certain types and sizes of vehicle may not be allowed
• you may need a work permit or to be escorted on site
• the controller of the site should supply you with all the relevant information and everyone involved should clearly understand the arrangements
• you may want to agree appropriate penalties if you or the person who has to escort you does not arrive on schedule
• access routes to the site may be over land that is not controlled by the person who controls the site. You should make sure you have the permission you need to reach the site with the equipment you propose to use
• for site security, visitors or your staff not directly involved in the work may only be allowed onto the site with the specific permission of the site controller (perhaps in writing)

As most of these sites are enclosed, it is best practice to see that you remove all rubbish and waste materials from site at the end of the work. You may want to have this done every day.

Special conditions apply to individual sites within any one contract. Make sure these are clear before you start work.

You should make sure any application equipment left on site is secure. If you leave any pesticides on site you must have the written permission of the site controller and they must be stored safely and securely.

The person supervising the work should contact local site controllers at least seven days before work is due to start to check whether:

• any special conditions apply to each site
• there will be other work in progress on the site while pesticides are being used

81 You must not allow pesticides being applied to drift beyond the target area. If the weather conditions become unsuitable, stop work and tell the site controller what has happened.