Turf Sprayer Safety Protocols and Precautions

A lush, green lawn can instantly enhance a business, inviting customers in and making a positive first impression. For landscaping pros, turf managers, or public grounds managers, turf spraying plays a major role in getting turf looking its best and enhancing curb appeal.

But when you get your sprayers out, it’s also time to focus on safety. As a business owner or turf/maintenance manager, it’s essential to keep your crew safe when using turf sprayers. Though turf sprayers can be highly effective, mishandling them can pose serious health and environmental risks. In this article, we’ll dive into the safety protocols and precautions for turf spraying to help keep your crew safe this season.

Pre-Spraying Preparation

Whether you’re focusing on weed prevention or insect control, both you and your crews should know all relevant usage and safety information about the specific product you’ll be using. Read the label and thoroughly follow the handling, preparation, and application instructions. In particular, look for:

• Active Ingredients: This section tells you exactly what chemicals are in the product and how they work. Understanding this is essential for choosing the right solution for your target pest or weed. For example, a weed preventer might contain an ingredient like pendimethalin, which disrupts the growth process of germinating seeds, while an insect killer might contain bifenthrin, which attacks the nervous system of insects.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements: The label will specify what kind of protective gear your crew needs to wear when handling and applying the product. This may include chemical-resistant gloves, goggles/face shields, respirators, and long pants and sleeves. Wearing the proper PPE helps to minimize the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals. Make sure you provide whatever PPE is needed to keep your workers safe and abide by manufacturer recommendations.
• Recommended Application Rates and Techniques: This section provides important details on how much product to use and how to apply it safely and effectively. Not using enough product won’t be effective at controlling your pest or weed problem, while using too much product can be wasteful, expensive, and potentially harmful to the environment or even your crew. The label will also specify application techniques, such as spraying, broadcasting granules, or creating a barrier around the perimeter of an area.

Make sure to keep a library of current safety data sheets (SDS) for all of the products that you use. SDS documents provide information about product hazards, handling procedures, and first-aid measures in case any team members are exposed to the products. You should have a book of these sheets easily accessible when you’re on the job or when you’re traveling to different locations.

Planning Your Application

It’s also important to carefully plan your spraying operation. You’ll need to consider multiple factors to find the ideal day to spray:

• Weather Conditions: Weather can significantly impact the success and safety of your spraying. The ideal conditions involve calm weather with minimal wind (less than 5 mph) and no rain on the horizon. Wind can cause the spray to drift off-target, potentially reaching unintended areas and harming nearby plants or people. Rain can wash away the product before it has a chance to take effect, reducing its effectiveness. Check the forecast for several days in advance to identify a window of ideal spraying conditions. Avoid hot and windy days altogether, as these conditions can also lead to product evaporation and reduced effectiveness.
• Site preparation: Proper site preparation ensures the safety of everyone involved and minimizes the risk of unintended consequences.
  • Communication: If your spraying operation takes place near residences or businesses, notify them beforehand. This allows them to take precautions like closing windows or keeping pets indoors.
  • Area Clearance: Ensure people and pets are removed from the designated spraying area before you begin. Pets can be particularly sensitive to chemicals, so take steps to keep them safe.
  • Wind Direction: Be mindful of the wind direction during application. Spraying downwind from sensitive areas like gardens or bodies of water helps to minimize the risk of overspray reaching unintended locations.
• Equipment inspection: Take the time to properly maintain and inspect your spraying equipment before each use. A well-maintained sprayer ensures:
  • Functionality: A malfunctioning sprayer can lead to uneven application, wasted product, and potential safety hazards. Checking for leaks, clogs, and proper functioning of all components ensures smooth operation.
  • Calibration: Accurate calibration ensures you apply the correct amount of product. An improperly calibrated sprayer can lead to under-application (wasting product and reducing effectiveness) or over-application (potentially harming plants or the environment). Refer to your sprayer’s manual for proper calibration procedures.

Safe Spraying Techniques

Train your crew on safe spraying techniques for accurate application and make sure you equip them with everything they need to work efficiently and safely. Follow recommended application rates and spray patterns to avoid overspray.

• Minimize Drift and Control Spray: Strictly adhere to the recommended application rates and spray patterns specified on the product label. Applying too much product can be wasteful and potentially harmful while applying too little won’t be effective at controlling your target pest or weed. Adhere to buffer zones around waterways, ornamental gardens, and other sensitive areas to minimize the risk of overspray reaching unintended locations and potentially harming desirable plants or contaminating water sources. Also, choose proper sprayer nozzle types for the job at hand. For example, a narrow fan nozzle is ideal for applying herbicides along fence lines, while a flood nozzle is better suited for treating larger, open areas.
• Calibrate Your Sprayer for Every Product You Use: Calibrating your sprayer ensures you apply the correct amount of product per square footage of the area treated. Run the sprayer, identify any leaks, and follow the product manufacturer’s calibration recommendations. Calibration involves running the sprayer with a specific amount of water to measure the actual amount of product being dispensed over a designated area. Refer to your sprayer’s manual for the proper calibration procedures specific to your model.
• Have a spill plan in place for accidental product spills. Establish specific procedures for safe cleanup and disposal of contaminated materials. Spills can contaminate soil and water sources, so a quick and effective cleanup is crucial. Your spill plan should outline specific procedures for safe cleanup and disposal of contaminated materials, including used product, leftover spray mix, and PPE. Refer to the SDS documents for each product to familiarize yourself with proper disposal.

Post-Spraying Procedures

When the job is done, your crew isn’t until each sprayer, tank, and empty container after the job is dealt with safely and properly. Train your crews to understand the handling, disposal, and clean-up process, which includes:

• Disposal: Refer to the product label instructions to properly dispose of empty containers. Be sure to also refer to your local regulations regarding material disposal. For example, pesticide manufacturers may state that containers can be recycled, but many towns prohibit the recycling of empty pesticide containers.
• Decontamination: Establish decontamination procedures for PPE, as well as for each sprayer and tank unit. Make sure crew members are familiar with these procedures and implement these procedures at the end of each application before using a new product.
• Re-entry: Review the re-entry intervals specified on each product label before allowing people or pets back onto the treated area. Create physical barriers to keep people off of the turf and establish a procedure and a person responsible for removing those barriers at an appropriate time.
• Shower: Instruct crew members to shower right after working to remove any residue that might have come into contact with their skin. They should also check their clothes for residue before they leave work. Once home, workers should immediately change out of their work clothes, wash them separately from other clothes in hot water, and run the wash cycle twice.
• Storage: Store each sprayer and tank securely. Ensure that each sprayer is drained, cleaned, and dried before storing the sprayer and tank in a protected area, like a shed or garage. This is a good opportunity to review any sprayer maintenance needs and ensure that your sprayers get serviced.

Key Takeaways

From proper sprayer service and cleaning to ensuring your whole crew wears the right PPE, safety is paramount when working with turf sprayers. Focusing on safety can help to protect not only your crew and the business that you’ve built but also those who live around and use the areas that you’ve sprayed.

Kenney Machinery is committed to providing high-quality turf care equipment and safety resources, including a guide on sprayer calibration. Contact us with any questions or concerns about turf spraying safety.