Since a discharge of golf course insecticide into the White River in August of 2003, the Office of the Indiana State Chemist has increased inspections of IN golf courses. During 2004 through 2006, 31 golf courses were either warned or fined for violations in pesticide use or handling. Some courses had multiple violations and the violations included:
• 22 counts of not wearing proper pesticide protective equipment (PPE)
• 10 counts of improper re-entry
• 5 counts of not keeping proper restricted use pesticide (RUP) records
• 2 counts of improper disposal
• 2 counts of using RUP’s without certification
• 2 counts of improper supervision of non-certified applicator using an RUP
• 1 count of careless and negligent
• 1 count of improper mixing and handling
The most important finding in the summary of violations is that reentry violations were not the most common as one would expect, but rather relatively simple-to-fix PPE violations were the most common. The 22 counts of improper PPE included most commonly lack of waterproof gloves, long-sleeved shirt, pants, proper footwear and/or eye protection. Every pesticide has specific PPE, which are clearly stated on the label. In some cases, PPE will change slightly depending on the formulation or the brand name of the active ingredient, which allows flexibility in choice of pesticide. Furthermore, the new summer weight polyester shirts and pants, and Gortex™ fabrics can be used per label restrictions, yet afford relative comfort on hot days. You’ll be seeing many more updates on pesticide safety issues in future Turf Tips and MRTF educational events in order to better follow label restrictions and minimize violations.