Pest Control Workwear Safety: OSHA Compliance for Pest Control Companies
Pest control companies need to balance pest control workwear uniforms with OSHA compliance standards. This can be a tall order to follow when you want to make an impact with your customers and, at the same time, provide safe working conditions for your employees.
Having your employees greet homeowners or business owners in protective coveralls can instill a sense of worry. Rather, it is better to have your employees make the right first impression with the proper uniform shirt and pants. After greeting the customer and discussing their pest control needs, then they can do a proper assessment.
During the assessment, pest control workers may not need extensive OSHA-compliant workwear right away. Initially, they may only need gloves, goggles, and a face mask, depending on where they are conducting the assessment. For example, if they need to get into a crawlspace or attic, then using coveralls to keep their uniform clean would also be appropriate.
After making their assessment, pest control employees need access to respirators, goggles, protective gloves, and coveralls to safely apply treatments in various areas of the home. For more extensive treatments, like tenting and fumigating a house or business, they may need other types of OSHA-compliant workwear.
Educate and Promote Safe OSHA Practices
Besides ensuring your employees have the right pest control work clothes, employers have a responsibility to educate their employees on OSHA requirements. Taking the time to train and educate employees is vital to avoid non-compliance and potential fines. Not to mention, it reduces the risks of personal injuries and accidents.
For example, your employees need to know how to safely transport, store, and apply various chemicals used for pest control. You need to verify that every employee knows how to do this safely and correctly.
Furthermore, your employees need to able to educate your customers on pest control application safety. Your customers need to know if there are any safety precautions they should follow after treatments are applied—for example, not using household cleaning products on the treated areas for a set time period.
Provide Easy Access to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Your pest control employees should have easy access to MSDS sheets. These sheets should list any harmful or hazardous chemicals they transport, store, or use for pest control treatments. It is a good idea to keep hard-copy printed versions of the sheets in binders in your pest control vehicles. This way, if your employee needs to review specific details about handling or using the chemicals, they can do so easily.
Review and Update OSHA Safety Compliance
As a pest control company owner, it is your responsibility to review and update OSHA safety compliance regularly. It is equally a good idea to review EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations and standards often. The EPA can make updates where a chemical can no longer be used for environmental reasons, health concerns, or other such changes you and your employees need to know.
Ultimately, it is your and your employees’ responsibility to ensure OSHA compliance is followed by placing a focus on safety and maintaining safe working conditions while handling pest control chemicals.
For further details about pest control work uniforms and protection coveralls for your employees, please feel free to contact Prudential Overall Supply at 800-767-5536 today!