1. Hazard Communication for Pesticide Safety in Developing Countries: When Is the Message Adequate?
HA Rother*, L London*, M Maruping* & S Miller#
* Occupational & Environmental Health Research Unit, University of Cape Town
# Chemical Workers Industrial Union, South Africa

2. PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
To illustrate the assumptions behind chemical hazard communication affecting effectiveness
To present some interpretations of pesticide pictograms by South African farm workers and small-scale farmers
To illustrate that hazard communication strategies cannot be effective as isolated strategies

3. Intention of hazard communication:
 to convey to users and other
recipients key information so as to
influence behaviour to promote safety
(ILO, 1991)
 Through the use of hazard communication strategies labels & SDS’s

4. Other Roles of CHC Advocacy – to advocate safety
Awareness – to draw attention to potential risks and hazards
Legal Liability – for example, pesticide labels have legal implications in South Africa through enabling regulations

5. WHAT MECHANISMS ARE USED TO COMMUNICATE PESTICIDE HAZARDS?
Pesticide labels – legal document; end-user liable for any misuse
Material Safety Data Sheets – complex for general public, workers;

6. Basic Elements on a Pesticide Label
First Alert to Potential Chemical Hazards
Pesticide (active ingredient) & company information
Precautions (safety info; protective measures)
Emergency First Aid
Hazard Statements
Measurement/mixing information
Symbols; icons; pictograms
Signal words (caution; harmful)
Colour codes for level of toxicity

7. How Comprehensible Can a Label Be?
Attributes of the Message – label layout; information provided; language used, symbols
Attributes of the Worker/Reader – gender; age; levels of formal education; experiences (hazard knowledge; injuries; exposure; training); visual literacy
Attributes of the Environment – product familiarity reduces reading of label; message context plays key role

8. Questions Arising from Assumptions Behind Label Effectiveness
Who selects the information to be included on a label?
Is the information selected suitable for every “use” environment and target group?
Is the information “understandable”?
Is the information noticed, used and interpreted into adequate safety/protective behaviours?

9. ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND CHEMICAL HAZARD COMMUNICATION (1)
Provision of information alone will lead people exposed to hazardous chemicals to adopt cautious and safe behaviour
Assumes understanding of risk/hazard, however, risk/hazard is a social construct
Assumes behaviour interpretation

10. Industry View of Labels
The labels provides the only method of direct transmission of technical information, instructions and advice from the supplier;
The information is informed by industry research and development
Information reaches the purchaser and user of the product.
(AVCASA)

11. ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND CHEMICAL HAZARD COMMUNICATION (2)
Scientific Data
} understand/interpret message
End-User
} translate into action
Intended Behaviour

12. ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND HAZARD COMMUNICATION (3)
CHC strategies are simplistic and easily understood across target and culturally different populations
Assumes literacy, technical literacy,
language proficiency
Assumes universal culturally understood symbols

13. PICTOGRAMS (according to AVCASA)
The international pesticide industry (GCPF) advocates the use of a series of pictograms to convey information without using words.
These are designed to appear on the labels of pesticides, especially in countries where degrees of illiteracy exist.
The pictograms have been widely tested in collaboration with the FAO.

14. OEHRU STUDY ON PICTOGRAM COMPREHENSIBILITY
Questionnaire – describe what the 10 pictograms mean to you if you see these on a pesticide label.
Interviews with farm workers and small-scale farmers in 2 provinces of South Africa
Pictograms are open for interpretation. Next slides show some of the responses given – correct answer a top of slide

16. Wear Boots Danger or harm on legs Protection of legs Man is working
People walking
Avoid contact with the mixture
Pass through
Don’t breath, you better walk out

17. St. Andrew’s Cross - Harmful
First aid
Ambulance
Hospital
You can die
Flammable
Good pesticide
Cross road
Emergency
Keep Pesticide locked in a safe place
No entry
Apply on pests
Just a cross

18. Wash after use Person washing Kills Wash your eyes
Cleanliness and health
Tap water
Position of the tap
Dangerous, don’t drink

19. Dangerous/harmful to livestock and poultry
To apply on livestock and poultry
Rural areas
Market for cattle and poultry
Kills cows and chickens pests
Use pesticides on cows and chickens
Be alert when driving
Not allowed in roads or gardens

20. Keep locked away and out of reach of children
Medicine inside
Spray
Take care of pesticides
Person putting pesticide in a locker
The thing inside is very dangerous
Climb the chair and take it
Very poisonous, don’t touch
Some places are out of bounds

21. How Well Do You Know Your Colours
How Well Do You Know Your Colours? Pesticides registered in South Africa have a colour code on their labels to indicate the level of toxicity and are ranked in the following order from most to least toxic:
Very toxic. Most toxic pesticide registered in South Africa
Harmful. Second most toxic pesticide registered in South Africa
Use with caution
Keep locked away. Although least toxic of the 4, can still be poisonous.

22. Contextual Issues for CHC
Initial chemical legislation in developing countries was for product efficacy not health and safety
target populations exposed to chemicals for years with limited health & safety protection mechanisms
 limited safety culture
implication

23. Contextual Issues for CHC (2)
Risk perceptions highly culturally sensitive
Severity of injury more NB than likelihood?
Ease of imagining hazard  risk? What of non-Western concepts of health
Ranking and multiple icons Western concepts

24. “No hazard communication system is intuitively obvious” (Clevestine, 1994).

25. Problems Associated With CHC Tools in Southern Africa
Chemical hazard data comes from developed countries (relevant?; appropriate?)
Technical language too difficult to understand (e.g., perforation)
CHC labels written mostly in English
Limited training on CHC interpretation
Limited awareness of CHC info.

26. What Can Be Done to Foster Understanding of Chemical Hazards?
Awareness exposure – draw attention for a wider audience beyond the work context
Training – starting with primary education
Develop & distribute educational materials (e.g., posters, pamphlets) explaining label components
Ensure pesticides are appropriately labeled
Limit exposure to pesticides
Conduct CHC evaluation research, esp. in developing world
Ensure info. On labels is adequate & appropriate to protect populations in developing countries