1. Discuss with people how to prevent poisoning.
2. Help people make their homes, their workplaces, and the community safer.

1. First of all, find out about the poisonings that have happened in your community in the last few years. Find out how they happened, where they happened and what the poisons were. Think about why the poisonings happened.
2. Think about how poisonings that have happened in your community could have been prevented. This chapter lists many ways to prevent poisoning. Talk to your poisons centre about the poisonings in your community. The poisons centre may be able to suggest ways to prevent them.
3. Discuss with people how poisonings can be prevented. Share what you know with others and help them understand why poisonings happen and what can be done to stop them happening again.

• Do not measure out or mix pesticides in or near houses, or where animals are kept.
• Do not blow through or suck spray nozzles to clear blockages. Clean the nozzle with water or a grass stem.
• Do not spray pesticide when a strong wind is blowing because it may drift over you, or nearby animals or houses.
• Do not leave pesticides unattended while they are out of the store.
• Do not let anyone go into fields when pesticides are being sprayed.
• Do not let children drink or play near spray equipment or near places where pesticides are mixed, or near a field that is being sprayed.
• Do not let children use pesticides.

• Do ask agricultural advisers about the safest way to get rid of stocks of unwanted pesticide and empty pesticide containers. Most waste can be buried but this is not safe for all chemicals and may not be allowed in some areas. It is very important to choose both the method used and the place where waste is burnt or buried so as not to cause danger to people or to the environment. Do not get rid of pesticides or pesticide-contaminated waste in community waste pits used for household rubbish. More specific recommendations for getting rid of chemical waste are outside the scope of this book.
• Do use all the pesticide in a sprayer if possible, to avoid having to get rid of unused pesticide. If that is not possible, empty all unused pesticide out of spray tanks and get rid of small amounts of left-over diluted pesticide by tipping it into a hole in the ground away from dwellings, wells, waterways and crops. Ask professional advice about where to dig the hole, and check how much waste can be put in it and how often it can be used. Put a fence round the hole to keep children away, and put a sign on the gate showing that poisons have been buried there.
• Do wash all equipment after use and put it back in the store. Collect the washing water in an empty container and pour it into the hole used for small amounts of left-over diluted pesticide.
• Do wash out empty containers three times with water. Usually you empty containers when you are mixing pesticides for use. If you wash out the containers straight away you can get rid of the washings by adding them to the spray tank. Washings which cannot be reused should be collected and got rid of in the hole used for small amounts of diluted pesticide. After they have been cleaned, store empty containers in the pesticide store until they can be got rid of safely.
• Do wash yourself thoroughly after work, and put on clean clothes.
• Do wash all work clothes well every day. Wash work clothes separately from other clothes. Never wear work clothes at home, or leave dirty clothes in the house.
• Do not take home left-over chemicals. Put them back in the store.
• Do not use empty containers to cook food or to store food or drinking-water for humans or animals, as it is impossible to clean out all the pesticide and to make the containers safe. Plastic containers should be washed as described above and holes punched in the base or sides so that they cannot be used again (Fig. 11). Treat steel drums and small tin containers in the same way (but do not make holes in pressurized containers).

What employers can do to prevent poisoning at work

General measures

Employers should protect workers from the dangers of using chemicals. There are several things they can do to protect them.

• Comply with local and national health and safety regulations.
• Choose the least dangerous chemicals. If there are several different chemicals that do the same job, choose the least poisonous one.
• Choose safe equipment and safe ways of using it.
• Make sure workers are exposed to chemicals as little as possible. For example, where appropriate, use mechanical ventilators in buildings where chemicals are used or stored.
• Provide workers with equipment and clothing, where appropriate, to protect them from exposure to chemicals. Maintain clothing and equipment in good condition.
• Use safety signs and notices.

Employers should also:

• tell workers if they are using dangerous chemicals;
• teach workers about the dangers and make sure that they understand fully;
• train and encourage workers to use safety equipment and clothing and to use chemicals safely;
• check from time to time to see if the workers are using the safety equipment and clothing and are using chemicals safely. Warn those who are not doing so about the dangers.

Checking the health of workers and their exposure to chemicals

Workers should not be exposed to amounts of chemicals that might make them ill or damage their health. In the workplace the amount of chemicals in the air should be measured and recorded. Workers should be offered regular medical checks if appropriate, to see if they are being harmed by chemicals at work and to see whether measures need to be taken to prevent exposure.

First aid and emergencies

• First aid should be available at every workplace.
• Training in first aid should always be a part of work training.

In every workplace the possible dangers from the use of poisonous substances should be assessed, and workers should be given the training, first aid equipment, and supplies they need to deal with the dangers, as well as some means of communication and transport in case of an accident.

Training

Employers should train all workers in what to do after any kind of accident, emergency or injury. They should teach workers how to give first aid. From time to time they should check that workers still remember what to do.

In every workplace there should be one or more trained first aiders always on the site, to give first aid in an emergency, such as poisoning, injury or sudden sickness. In many countries, national labour regulations say that there must be a person trained in first aid in each workforce of a certain size, but trained first aiders are needed even in smaller organizations not covered by regulations. Even a person working alone should know first aid and know if the work is dangerous. The number of people who should be trained in first aid depends on the size of the danger. These people may be workers or supervisors or, if a person works at home, other adults in the family.

Equipment

First aid equipment should always be kept in workplaces where there are dangerous chemicals. For example, where there are corrosive liquids, an eye-wash fountain or a plastic bottle with an eye-wash may be needed. If there is a danger that the corrosive liquid could be spilt on the skin, an emergency shower may be needed. Emergency breathing equipment should be kept where irritant or poisonous gases, such as chlorine or carbon dioxide, are used, so that workers can escape or rescue others if there is a gas leak. In some cases special equipment may be needed to rescue people after an accident.

Supplies

Antidotes may need to be added to first aid kits in workplaces where very quick-acting poisonous chemicals are used. For example, amyl nitrite capsules should be kept in places where cyanide is used.

Getting help and taking people to hospital

The easiest way to get help when there is an accident at work is to shout to a fellow-worker or, for those working at home, a member of the family or a neighbour.

Employers should know what to do and who to contact if there is an accident or emergency with dangerous chemicals.

Where appropriate, there should be posters with clear instructions about what to do and who to contact if there is an accident or emergency with dangerous chemicals. The posters should give telephone numbers of the nearest emergency service, health service, or poisons centre, or instructions about how to contact them. They should also have pictures and instructions on how to give first aid and how to get medical help after first aid has been given. Employers should check from time to time that these procedures still work, and find out, for example, whether the people to contact have changed.

Cooperation between employers and workers

Employers, workers and their representatives should cooperate closely to apply these safety measures. Workers should take care of their own health and safety by following training and instructions given by their employers, by using protective equipment and clothing properly and by reporting at once to their supervisor any situation that could be dangerous.

Workers should be given information about the dangers of using chemicals in their work, and be trained in ways of working that will protect them from those dangers.

How to avoid snake bites

When a person and a snake meet, the snake will usually try to get away if given the chance. Snakes usually bite only when they are surprised by a sudden movement and cannot get away.

• Do wear shoes when walking outdoors. Tall leather boots give the best protection for walking in long grass or undergrowth. Wear them with long trousers hanging outside the boots (Fig. 12).

Fig. 12. Para protegerse de las mordeduras de
serpientes, lo mejor es llevar botas altas
por debajo de los pantalones.

• Do learn about the poisonous snakes in your area. Learn what they look like and where they live. Most snakes live on the ground but some live in trees or bushes. Find out if there are any snakes that spit venom and how they attack.
• Do take care at night because that is when many snakes are active. Tell children to wear shoes and use a torch when walking around at night. Teach them to leave snakes alone.
• Do not go near snakes. Run away if you can. If you cannot run away, do not make sudden movements.
• Do not touch a snake even if it looks dead. Some snakes pretend to be dead to avoid attack.
• Do not turn over stones or logs, or put your hand or foot into a hole in the ground. Before stepping over a log look for snakes on the other side.
• Do not sleep on the ground. You might roll over onto a snake while asleep, or a snake may move next to you to get warm.

How to prevent insect, spider and scorpion stings and bites

• Do find out about the poisonous insects, caterpillars, spiders, and scorpions in your area. Learn what they look like and where they live.
• To protect yourself from bee stings when working among flowers or fruits, do wear long trousers, long-sleeved shirts and gloves, and cover your head and face as much as possible (Fig. 13). Avoid wearing things that attract bees, such as bright flowery clothing, bright shiny jewellery, buttons or buckles, or using scented perfume, soap or shampoo.

Fig. 13. Wear protective clothing when working
with fruit or flowers to prevent insect
bites and stings.

• Do not walk outdoors in bare feet or open shoes.
• Do not touch insects, caterpillars, spiders, scorpions, or centipedes.
• Do not put your hands in leaf litter, rotten tree trunks or holes where insects, caterpillars, spiders, scorpions or centipedes might live.

How to avoid eating poisonous plants, mushrooms and fish

• Do find out which plants and mushrooms in your community are poisonous and what they look like. Make sure you can recognize them - some edible plants, mushrooms and fish are very hard to distinguish from poisonous ones.
• Do learn how to prepare foods correctly. Some plants (like cassava) are poisonous if not properly prepared or cooked, and some plants and fish have poisonous parts that must not be eaten.
• If you are preparing tropical fish, do separate the flesh from the head, skin and gut as soon as possible, because these may contain large amounts of poison.
• Do not buy mushrooms from people who are selling them by the roadside.
• Do not eat fish that is not fresh. Some fish are good to eat when they are fresh, but become poisonous when they have been dead for some time.

How to avoid infection from food contaminated with germs

• Do keep kitchens clean. Keep tables and other surfaces on which food is prepared clean, and keep kitchen utensils clean.
• Do protect food by keeping it covered or in boxes or cupboards
  with wire screens (Fig. 14).

Fig. 14. Protect food from contamination by animals.

• Do wash your hands well with clean soap and water before touching or preparing food. Cuts or sores on fingers should be covered with a clean dressing.
• Do boil plates and eating utensils used by sick people before anyone else uses them.
• Do not keep food for a long time in a warm place. Do not keep left-over cooked food if you cannot keep it cool or keep it in a refrigerator.
• Do not let flies, other insects, worms, rats or other animals touch or crawl on food. They carry germs and spread disease.
• Do not let dust get on food or let people touch food.
• Do not leave food scraps or dirty dishes lying around, as these attract flies and let germs breed.
• Do not leave clean utensils lying on the ground.
• Do not eat raw or undercooked meat. Cook it right through.
• Do not eat food that is old or smells bad.
• Do not eat food from cans that are swollen or that squirt out when opened. Be especially careful with canned fish.