Gloves, sleeves, boots, and pant legs – What’s a handler to do?
By: Jennifer Weber, UA Pesticide Safety Education Program
Welcome to the very first edition of the Pesticide Safety… “I should know this” series, where we will answer pesticide-related questions that seem to stump the best of us.
Question: “I should know this, but… When applying pesticides, am I supposed to tuck my sleeves into my gloves or my gloves into my sleeves?
What about my boots and pant legs? Should I tuck my pant legs into my boots or wear them out over my boots?”
These are excellent and very commonly asked questions. If you search the internet for photos of pesticide handlers spraying overhead, 9 times out of 10 you will find photos
of how NOT to position your gloves and sleeves. Trust me, I’ve surfed the internet many times in search of the perfect photos for pesticide safety presentations and hit a few snags.
Luckily, my coworker Christian Conner was happy to pose for these two photos to demonstrate the correct way to arrange your gloves, sleeves, pant legs, and boots when applying pesticides.
As you can see from the picture on the left, Christian is pretending to spray a citrus tree overhead.
He has correctly tucked his sleeves into his gloves. If the pesticide leaked from the sprayer’s wand, the liquid would simply trickle
down his glove and onto the outside of his sleeve. His skin would be protected.
On the right, he is pretending to spray a patch of weeds on the ground. He placed his sleeves out over his gloves, which is perfectly
fine in this situation. His skin is protected.
He is also wearing his pant legs over his boots to prevent pesticides from entering the opening along the top of his boots and potentially
contaminating his socks and skin.
Feel free to share this article with pesticide handlers so they can continue to work safely when applying pesticides.
Is there is something you know you should know, but for some reason, you just don’t know? If so, send me your question.
I’ll be happy to help you find the answer and will add it to the Pesticide Safety… “I should know this” series.
You can call me directly (602) 827-8222 or send me an email jennyweber@arizona.edu
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