6.7 Personal protective equipment for fumigators

Equipment should be selected in accordance with the nature of the fumigants and the working conditions. Competent authorities should be consulted and all equipment selected should conform to any applicable national standards. Protection should be provided against inhalation and skin and eye absorption. Operators engaged in the application of liquid fumigants should be provided with goggles and rubber or other vapour-proof boots and gloves. Respiratory protective equipment, where necessary of the self-contained type, should be worn by operators while manipulating cylinder valves, vaporisers and similar equipment in the course of applying toxic gases such as hydrogen cyanide, methyl bromide and ethylene oxide, and by operators stopping leakages from fumigated spaces or entering such spaces to carry out ventilation or for any other reason. Gasmasks or chemical cartridge respirators may be used for most fumigation operations entailing brief exposure to low fumigant concentrations. For longer exposures, for example when applying liquid fumigants to large stacks of cereals or similar products, self-contained or air-supplied respirators may be needed.