Spray operator health check

Jack Russell · May 21, 2019

Not sure which section this should be in, but we have always offered a health check for the spray operator. They have never been bothered about it before but have now decided to do it. Does anyone else do this and if so what do you ask for when you go to the doctor? Is it just a check up and maybe bloods or is there a set procedure? Our GP is relatively useless and hasn’t a clue as to what it is.

Zippy768 · May 21, 2019

Cant help your question, but I applaud you for being so proactive regarding health, especially that of an employee.

weedkiller · May 21, 2019

The company I used to work for sent me and the other sprayer operators for blood tests every 6 months , it was to check to see if any chemical was getting into the body mainly the active chemical in aphox . We also had medicals every year.

ollie989898 · May 21, 2019

weedkiller said:
The company I used to work for sent me and the other sprayer operators for blood tests every 6 months , it was to check to see if any chemical was getting into the body mainly the active chemical in aphox . We also had medicals every year.

That is interesting. Did the results ever show anything up?

Jim75 · May 21, 2019

Used to have to do it when doing contract work for frontier and there own guys were through bupa I think but I just went to the local gp who after a bit of searching took some bloods and monitored white cells maybe ? every 6 months/year whatever is desired. Few years ago now

Yale · May 21, 2019

Could be useful if the sprayer operator has an underlying condition which needs picking up.

grainboy · May 21, 2019

Only trouble is, can only find something if you know what you are looking for,
Tried this years ago when spraying, When I was ill. Too many Chemicals to search for !!

weedkiller · May 21, 2019

ollie989898 said:
That is interesting. Did the results ever show anything up?

Not really , I seem to remember it was something to do with it being organophosphate or non organophosphate ( it’s been a few years since I worked there), it was a easy way to see if the full face respirators were working.

ollie989898 · May 21, 2019

weedkiller said:
Not really , I seem to remember it was something to do with it being organophosphate or non organophosphate ( it’s been a few years since I worked there), it was a easy way to see if the full face respirators were working.

Interesting, I guess it was to monitor exposure of OPs and levels in your blood. I know some individuals are quite sensitive to them but I do not know why that might be the case.

Jack Russell · May 21, 2019

It’s also a suggestion in one of the assurance schemes, red tractor I think. But usefully they don’t suggest what we are testing for.

Tipperted · May 21, 2019

I have found this year that spraying Herbicides on Wheat I get so ill I had to stop today! Must be allergic to something any ideas what to use to help this?

Shutesy · May 21, 2019

Tipperted said:
I have found this year that spraying Herbicides on Wheat I get so ill I had to stop today! Must be allergic to something any ideas what to use to help this?

Are you using a suitable respirator when filling and a charcoal filter in your tractor cab in place of the normal cab filter? I would suggest they are the best places to start, assuming your cab has doors and windows?

Al R · May 21, 2019

I remember seeing on SDUK on FB about this a few years ago, the big veg boys we’re often tested every 6 months and if their levels of something went to high they weren’t allowed to spray until it went back down. The insecticides some of them were using was serious stuff that made cypermethrin and lambda look like water..

Good on you for offering it to your employee, some farmers won’t buy a mask/apron/gloves let alone anything else like carbon filters...

Tipperted · May 21, 2019

Shutesy said:
Are you using a suitable respirator when filling and a charcoal filter in your tractor cab in place of the normal cab filter? I would suggest they are the best places to start, assuming your cab has doors and windows?

Haha yea can and Windows its a Sands self propelled so I guess the right filters. I don’t use a respirator granded I probabilities should start. I will start a new thread rather then hi jack. Thank you

Cjm · May 21, 2019

I think the blood test is a cholonesterase (not sure of the spelling). To test for raised levels of insecticides in the body

Norfolk Olly · May 21, 2019

I used to have a blood test in feb then again in october, pre and post spraying season.
It was at the occupational health clinic at cambridge which was right next to the sexual health clinic

.
They were checking levels in the blood to see if there was any increase in certain nastiness from pre to post season, always received a letter around christmas saying that the levels were acceptable, not if they had risen significantly during the season or not just that they were within the tolerable level.
If i was spraying full time now i would want to be doing the same.

Feldspar · May 21, 2019

slim shiny said:
I used to have a blood test in feb then again in october, pre and post spraying season.
It was at the occupational health clinic at cambridge which was right next to the sexual health clinic .
They were checking levels in the blood to see if there was any increase in certain nastiness from pre to post season, always received a letter around christmas saying that the levels were acceptable, not if they had risen significantly during the season or not just that they were within the tolerable level.
If i was spraying full time now i would want to be doing the same.

Interesting, and I quite agree that I would want to have this as an employee. Indeed, I'm quite interested to do it myself even though I don't do too much spraying.

Any idea what company this was organised through? I got part way doing this earlier in the spring until we got busier. I mean to get this sorted. I had been in contact with Wrightway Health.

Norfolk Olly · May 21, 2019

Feldspar said:
Interesting, and I quite agree that I would want to have this as an employee. Indeed, I'm quite interested to do it myself even though I don't do too much spraying.

Any idea what company this was organised through? I got part way doing this earlier in the spring until we got busier. I mean to get this sorted. I had been in contact with Wrightway Health.

It was done at Addenbrookes, organised by our health and safety department. As far as i was aware it was NHS

betternextyear · May 21, 2019

I would be interested to know which of the items on this list has done me the most harm
Organophosphates in warble fly dressing,sheep dip grainstore smoke
Every sort of dust and mould in hay strawgrain etc
Zylene in betanal and paint
Clouds of welding gas and dust.
Gallons and gallons of roundup
Mercury seed dressing.
Paint spraying
Asbestos
An ocean of alcohol
A mountain of bacon
How would I know which one to test for?

grainboy · May 21, 2019

Precisely!!!

Spray operator health check

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