# Job Hazard Analysis: Pesticide application URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/jha/landscaping/pesticide-application Last updated: 2026-10-23 Mixing, loading, and spraying herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides on lawns, beds, and shrubs with 4-gal backpack sprayers and a truck-mounted spray tank with hose reel. Includes label review, transport, posting treated areas, equipment cleanup, and washing up. Work is outdoors in public and residential areas with possible heat exposure. > A general example for this task. Your JHA should reflect your crew, equipment and site — review it with a competent person before work starts. ## Steps, hazards and controls ### 1. Read the product label and SDS, check the weather, and plan the job - **Using the wrong product, rate, or PPE because the label was not read** (High): Choose the least toxic product that does the job, such as spot-treating instead of broadcast spraying.; The crew leader reads the label out loud: signal word, mix rate, PPE, and re-entry time.; Keep the label and SDS in the truck for every product on board. - **Spray drift onto people, pets, gardens, or water from wind** (Medium): Do not spray when wind is over the label limit (commonly about 10 mph) or when rain is expected.; Mark buffer zones around ponds, drains, play areas, and vegetable gardens before you start. ### 2. Mix and load pesticide into backpack sprayers or the truck tank - **Splash of concentrate into eyes or onto skin** (High): Use pre-measured packs or a closed transfer system when available.; Mix on the tailgate at waist height, never above your face, and pour slowly with a funnel.; Have at least 5 gal of clean water and an eyewash bottle on the truck before opening any container.; Wear chemical-resistant gloves, chemical splash goggles or a face shield, and an apron while mixing. - **Breathing vapors or dust from concentrate** (Medium): Mix outdoors, upwind of the containers, never inside a garage or shed.; Wear the respirator the label calls for, fit-tested and with the right cartridges. - **Spill or tank overflow that contaminates soil or drains** (Medium): Never fill near storm drains or wells, and use an anti-backflow device or air gap on the fill hose.; Stay with the tank the whole time it fills and keep a spill kit with absorbent on the truck. ### 3. Transport pesticides and loaded equipment to the site - **Containers tipping and leaking in the truck bed or cab** (Medium): Carry pesticides only in the truck bed in a locked, secured box, never in the cab.; Strap down sprayers and close all lids and tank valves before driving.; Keep food, drinks, and clothes away from pesticides. ### 4. Spray the target area with backpack sprayer or hose gun - **Skin and eye contact from drift, leaking backpack, or walking through wet spray** (High): Inspect the backpack seals, hose, and wand for leaks before strapping it on.; Use low pressure and coarse-droplet nozzles, keep the nozzle low, and spray with the wind at your back.; Walk backward away from treated areas so you do not walk through wet spray.; Wear long sleeves, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves and boots, and eye protection as the label requires. - **Bystanders, children, or pets entering the spray area** (Medium): Ask the customer to keep people and pets inside, and stop spraying if anyone comes within 25 ft. - **Heat stress from wearing protective clothing in hot weather** (High): Schedule spraying for early morning when it is cooler and calmer.; Drink water every 15 minutes and take shade breaks; new workers build up time in the heat gradually.; Wash hands and face before drinking so you do not swallow pesticide. - **Back strain and slips from carrying a full 4-gal backpack on slopes and wet grass** (Low): Fill the backpack only partway on steep slopes and adjust both shoulder straps snug.; Wear boots with good tread and walk across slopes, not straight up and down. ### 5. Post treated areas and notify the customer - **People or pets entering before the re-entry time on the label** (Medium): Place lawn flags or signs at the entrances to treated areas as the job requires.; Tell the customer the product used and when it is safe to go back on the treated area. ### 6. Clean sprayers, rinse empty containers, and store pesticides - **Splash and skin contact while rinsing tanks and containers** (Medium): Triple-rinse empty containers and pour the rinse water into the spray tank to apply on a labeled site.; Keep gloves, goggles, and apron on until all cleanup is done. - **Unsecured pesticides reached by unauthorized people or mixed with incompatible products** (Medium): Store in original labeled containers in a locked, ventilated area away from fertilizer, fuel, and food.; Never put pesticide in a drink bottle or unlabeled container. ### 7. Remove PPE and wash up - **Pesticide residue carried home on clothes or skin** (Medium): Wash gloves before taking them off, then remove the rest of the PPE and wash hands last.; Wash hands and face with soap and water before eating, smoking, or using the restroom.; Bag work clothes and wash them separately from family laundry. ## Required PPE - Chemical-resistant gloves (nitrile or as the label lists) — At all times when mixing, spraying, and cleaning; no cotton or leather gloves. - Chemical splash goggles or face shield over safety glasses — Goggles or face shield when mixing and loading; ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses at minimum when spraying. - Long-sleeve shirt and long pants, or coveralls — Wear chemical-resistant coveralls if the label requires them. - Chemical-resistant boots — Pants worn outside the boots so spray does not run inside. - Chemical-resistant apron — When mixing, loading, and cleaning equipment. - Respirator — Only when the label requires it; the type and cartridges the label lists, with fit testing and medical clearance. - Wide-brim hat — Chemical-resistant hat when spraying overhead shrubs or in sun. ## Training - State pesticide applicator license, or work under the direct supervision of a licensed applicator as your state requires. - Hazard communication training: reading labels, signal words, and SDS for each product used. - Respirator medical evaluation, fit test, and training before using any respirator. - Spill cleanup and first aid for pesticide exposure, including eyewash use. - Heat illness recognition and prevention. - Calibration and inspection of backpack and truck sprayers. ## Emergency If pesticide gets in eyes or on skin, stop work and flush with clean water for at least 15 minutes; remove contaminated clothing. If someone is dizzy, vomiting, has trouble breathing, or collapses, call 911 and give the site address. Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 and have the product label ready for responders. ## Official sources - [29 CFR 1910.1200](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.1200) — Hazard communication (GHS) - [29 CFR 1926.59](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.59) — Hazard communication - [29 CFR 1926.28](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.28) — Personal protective equipment - [29 CFR 1926.95](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.95) — Criteria for personal protective equipment - [29 CFR 1926.102](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.102) — Eye and face protection - [29 CFR 1910.134](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.134) — Respiratory protection program - [29 CFR 1926.50](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.50) — Medical services and first aid - [OSHA](https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure) — Heat — hazard recognition and prevention --- Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.