BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

The following emergency preparedness best management practices are excerpted from SFMA ’ s National BMP guide , Best Management Practices for the Sports Field Manager : A Professional Guide for Sports Field Management . The full guide , as well as a customizable BMP template , is available at https :// www . sportsfieldmanagement . org / knowledge _ center / bmps /

Facilities related to the storage and handling of fertilizers , pesticides and other chemicals – especially in their concentrated form – pose the highest potential risk to water sources if accidentally released in quantity . Learning proper procedures for dealing with pesticide spills is part of being a licensed applicator . Anyone storing , mixing or loading potentially hazardous chemicals should treat all leaks , spills and fires as emergencies and be prepared to respond to these emergencies promptly and correctly . For unintended releases of any chemicals , an emergency plan , spill kit and first-aid kit should be readily available .

PLANNING Planning and preparations should be made for potential emergencies related to unintended releases of any chemicals . Local emergency personnel such as fire departments should be consulted , be notified about the locations of pesticide and fertilizer storage , and be given regularly updated lists of chemicals stored . Storage areas should have proper signs . Training and orientation should also be conducted annually with employees to review plans and preparations .

PESTICIDE SPILL RESPONSE PLAN For facilities that store pesticides , a Pesticide Spill Response Plan with actions to take and personnel to contact in the event of a spill or accident should be in place . The plan should include the following :

Names and quantities of pesticides in inventory .

Location of property , including a map and directions ( to relay over the phone in an emergency ).

Names , addresses and phone numbers of the designated spokesperson , sports field manager and key employees .

Plan of facility showing pesticide storage locations , flammable materials , electrical service , water supply , fuel storage tanks , fire hydrants , storm drains and nearby wetlands , ponds or streams .

Location of emergency equipment supplies .

Contact information for fire , police , hospital , pesticide regulatory agency and facility owner , as well as any other contact information deemed necessary .

Ensure that copies of the plan are located near the pesticide storage facility and the office , and are distributed to local police and fire departments . Maintain copies in English and any other language commonly used by employees . Be sure to update the information regularly for local police and fire departments .

SAFETY DATA SHEETS ( SDS ) OSHA ’ s Hazard Communication Standard – 29 CFR 1910.1200 ( g ), revised in 2012 – requires that the chemical manufacturer , distributor or importer provide SDS for each hazardous chemical to users to communicate information on these hazards . More information on SDS can be found on the Hazard Communication Standard : Safety Data Sheets page of the OSHA website . An up-to-date file should be maintained with copies of all the SDS for all chemicals used . The file should be stored on the property and made available to employees . Copies of these files can be provided to local fire departments and hospitals in case of any emergency .

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