Read all the statements in each set and select the one that best describes your storage conditions. The responses, in order from first to last, have a high, medium, or low (zero or negative) point value. Your goal is to score the highest number of points (maximum = 26) by applying as many low risk practices as you can.
1. You usually store:
_____ no more than 1 gallon or 10 pounds of each pesticide. (2)
_____ more than 1 gallon or 10 pounds, but less than 55 gallons or 50 pounds of each pesticide. (1)
_____ more than 55 gallons or 50 pounds of each of several pesticides. (0)
2. Your pesticide storage area:
_____ is a roofed building with a waterproof (sealed or coated) concrete floor and curb to contain leaks and spills. (2)
_____ is roofed with a concrete floor and no curb (1)
_____ has a gravel or dirt floor or it is in the open. (-1)
3. Your pesticide storage area:
_____ has an active (electrical) ventilation system. (2)
_____ has a passive ventilation system (holes or vents to provide cross ventilation). (1)
_____ has no ventilation. (-1)
4. Your pesticide storage area:
_____ is more than 100 feet (horizontally) from a public water supply or surface waters and more than 50 feet from a private water supply well. (2)
_____ is within 100 feet of a public water supply or surface waters or within 50 feet of a well. (1)
_____ is in your well house or in a facility containing an unsealed well. (0)
5. Your pesticide storage area:
_____ is locked or secured and separated from other activities (2)
_____ is secured, but sometimes open to activities that could damage containers or spill pesticides. (1)
_____ is not secure and is open to theft, vandalism, and children or other unauthorized persons. (-1)
6. Your pesticide storage area:
_____ is used for pesticides only. (2)
_____ is sometimes also used for seed, fertilizer or other nonfood/nonfeed products. (1)
_____ is used to store human food or animal feed products. (-1)
7. Unusable or cancelled pesticides:
_____ are kept separately in the pesticide storage area until safe disposal through your state’s pesticide disposal assistance program. (2)
_____ are kept with other pesticides in clearly marked containers. (1)
_____ are buried on the farm or dumped off the property. (-1)
8. Your pesticides are:
_____ in plastic or metal containers. Containers in poor condition are placed inside another liquid-proof container. (2)
_____ in some metal containers that are deteriorating. (1)
_____ in metal containers with holes or weak seams that may leak or are stored in containers that have previously been used for food, feed, beverages,
or medicine. (-1)
9. You have pesticides:
_____ stored in clearly labeled original containers. (2)
_____ that have been transferred to another container with the following labeling information: common chemical name, percentage of each active ingredient, EPA registration number, signal word (Caution, Warning or Danger), and use classification (restricted-use or general-use). (1)
10. Pesticides are:
_____ store with liquids on lower shelves below dry pesticides and herbicides separated from insecticides and fungicides. (2)
_____ store with liquids below dry pesticides, but there is no separation of herbicides from insecticides and fungicides. (1)
_____ store without sorting for liquids or type of pesticide. (0)
11. Your pesticide storage area has:
_____ warning signs posted on all entrances to the storage area which read “Danger – Pesticide – Keep Out – No Smoking” (or similar wording). (2)
_____ warning signs posted, but they have become weathered and are difficult to read. (1)
_____ no warning signs. (0)
12. Your local fire authorities:
_____ have a copy of your pre-fire plan for handling agricultural chemical fires at your storage area. (2)
_____ are aware of your pesticide storage facility. (1)
_____ do not know about your pesticide storage facility and have not visited your site. (0)
13. Your inventory of pesticides in storage:
_____ is up-to-date, has Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for each product, and is kept at a central location. (2)
_____ is not kept up-to-date (pesticides placed in storage in the last 6 mos. to a year are not recorded). (1)
_____ is out-of-date or does not exist. (0)