Farm and agricultural workers may come into contact with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilisers, disinfectants, fuels and other hazardous substances.
These products can cause injury through splashes to the eyes or skin, inhalation of vapour or spray, accidental swallowing or significant contamination of clothing and equipment.
The correct first aid response depends on the specific substance involved. For this reason, the product label and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) should always be checked and followed.
This guide explains how to plan for agricultural chemical exposure, what immediate first aid principles may apply, when to call 999 and why COSHH, product information and emergency arrangements are essential.
Important: do not rely on generic first aid instructions where a product label or Safety Data Sheet gives specific emergency advice. Different agricultural chemicals can require different responses.
Agricultural workplaces can contain many different substances, including:
The hazards vary considerably between products. Some may mainly irritate the skin or eyes, while others can be harmful if inhaled or swallowed.
Exposure can occur during:
HSE guidance emphasises preventing and controlling exposure before first aid is ever needed. Employers should assess hazardous substances under COSHH and provide suitable control measures. See our COSHH & First Aid Explained guide for the wider workplace requirements.
| Exposure route | What may happen | Immediate priority |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes | Irritation, pain, redness or chemical injury. | Begin appropriate irrigation promptly and follow the product instructions. |
| Skin | Irritation, burns or absorption through the skin depending on the substance. | Remove the source of contamination safely and follow SDS washing instructions. |
| Inhalation | Airway irritation, coughing, dizziness or breathing problems. | Move away from exposure to fresh air where this can be done safely. |
| Swallowing | Poisoning, nausea, vomiting, abdominal symptoms or more serious systemic effects. | Seek urgent medical advice and do not induce vomiting unless specifically instructed by a medical professional. |
The first priority is to avoid further exposure.
If someone has been exposed:
Do not put yourself at risk by handling contaminated clothing or entering an area containing fumes, spray or gas without appropriate protection.
A Safety Data Sheet contains important information about a hazardous chemical, including:
Section 4 of an SDS normally contains the first aid measures relevant to the product.
Workers should know how to access the SDS quickly rather than trying to find it for the first time during an emergency.
Chemical eye exposure should be taken seriously.
In general:
Some chemicals require prolonged irrigation, so always check the SDS rather than assuming one fixed rinsing time is suitable for every substance.
See our First Aid for Eye Injuries guide for broader eye-injury information.
The appropriate response depends on the substance, but removing contamination promptly is usually important.
Where consistent with the product instructions:
Anyone helping should avoid direct skin contact with the chemical and use suitable protective gloves or other PPE where available.
Often, yes.
Contaminated clothing can keep a chemical in contact with the skin and may continue exposing the casualty.
However, clothing should be removed carefully so the substance is not transferred to:
Where contamination is extensive or the substance is particularly hazardous, follow the product emergency procedure and instructions from emergency services.
If a person has inhaled harmful fumes, vapour, mist or spray:
Never enter an enclosed or poorly ventilated contaminated space without appropriate training and respiratory protection.
Suspected poisoning should receive medical advice promptly.
If a chemical has been swallowed:
NHS guidance advises not trying to make someone sick after they have swallowed something harmful because they could choke. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
For broader information, see our First Aid for Suspected Poisoning guide.
Call 999 or 112 if the person:
NHS guidance says poisoning can occur after swallowing, touching or breathing in something harmful and should be taken seriously. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
If you are unsure whether a substance is harmful and the person is not in an immediately life-threatening condition, contact NHS 111 for urgent advice.
See our When to Call 999 vs 111 vs GP guide for more information.
If the casualty becomes unresponsive:
Do not give anything by mouth to an unconscious casualty.
See our First Aid for an Unconscious Person guide for further information.
No, not unless a healthcare professional or the specific product guidance explicitly tells you to do so.
Inducing vomiting can create additional risks, including choking or further injury if a corrosive or harmful substance passes through the throat again.
Keep the product container or label available so medical professionals know exactly what substance is involved.
Knowing the exact product can be extremely useful to emergency medical professionals.
Where safe, take:
NHS poisoning guidance specifically advises trying to identify what caused the poisoning and taking the substance or its packaging to hospital if possible. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Yes.
Some chemical exposures cause immediate irritation, while others may produce symptoms later.
Possible symptoms of poisoning can include:
Do not assume someone is safe simply because they feel well immediately after significant exposure. Follow the product information and obtain medical advice where required.
Emergency planning should begin before hazardous products are used.
An agricultural COSHH or risk assessment should consider:
HSE guidance on hazardous substances emphasises including emergency arrangements and washing facilities in COSHH planning. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Whether dedicated eye-washing equipment is required depends on the substances being used, the risk of eye exposure and the product instructions.
If eye contamination is a foreseeable risk, suitable irrigation should be available quickly enough to be useful in an emergency.
The arrangement should consider:
A small eyewash bottle should not automatically be assumed to replace a suitable supply of clean water where prolonged irrigation may be necessary.
Agricultural spraying may take place some distance from the main farm buildings.
Workers should consider:
Our Farm & Agricultural First Aid Requirements guide covers wider rural emergency planning.
PPE should be selected according to the product label, COSHH assessment and task being carried out.
Depending on the substance and work, this can include:
PPE is a preventive control rather than first aid. It should never be used as a substitute for safer handling systems where exposure can be prevented in other ways.
See our Workplace PPE Explained guide for more information.
A spill should be dealt with according to the product's emergency instructions and the workplace spill procedure.
Before attempting to clean a spill:
Do not improvise with unknown chemicals. Some substances can react dangerously with incompatible absorbents, cleaners or other chemicals.
Mixing and loading can create a particularly high exposure risk because workers may be handling concentrated products.
HSE pesticide guidance recommends measures designed to reduce exposure during preparation, including suitable closed-transfer systems and avoiding unnecessary manual handling of concentrated products. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Workers should:
Many poisoning incidents are preventable.
Agricultural chemicals should be:
Never transfer pesticides or hazardous chemicals into drink bottles or unlabelled containers.
Common errors include:
The exact provision should follow the risk assessment and the substances being used.
Depending on the workplace, relevant equipment may include:
The presence of a first aid kit does not replace appropriate chemical controls, PPE, washing facilities or emergency procedures.
You can view our range of first aid kits when reviewing general workplace first aid provision.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Any exposure | Move away from the source safely, identify the chemical and follow the label and SDS. |
| Eye splash | Begin appropriate irrigation promptly and follow the product-specific instructions. |
| Skin contamination | Remove contaminated clothing safely and wash or rinse as directed by the SDS. |
| Inhalation | Move to fresh air where safe and seek medical help if symptoms occur. |
| Swallowed chemical | Do not induce vomiting. Identify the product and seek urgent medical advice. |
| Unconscious casualty | Call 999, check breathing and use the recovery position or CPR as appropriate. |
| Serious symptoms | Call 999 for severe breathing difficulty, seizure, collapse or loss of consciousness. |
| Medical handover | Provide the product container, label or SDS and details of how and when exposure occurred. |
The Health and Safety Executive provides guidance on pesticides, COSHH and controlling exposure to hazardous substances. The NHS also provides public guidance on recognising and responding to suspected poisoning.
You can read the HSE pesticides guidance and NHS guidance on poisoning for further information.
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