PESTICIDEUSE NOTIFICATION PLAN.

Transcription

1 PESTICIDEUSE NOTIFICATION PLAN

2 1. Introduction This Pesticide Use Notification Plan has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Pesticides Regulation 2009 (the Regulation). The Plan sets out how TAFE NSW Western Institute (TAFE Western) will notify members of the community of pesticide (and herbicide) applications it makes or allows to be made to public places that it controls or owns. The aim of this plan is to meet the community s general right to know about pesticide applications made to outdoor public places that are owned or controlled by public authorities. The Plan allows members of the community to take action to avoid contact with pesticides, if they wish. TAFE Western ensures that pesticides are applied to public places in a safe, responsible manner, minimising harm to the community or the environment. The Plan describes: The public places to which it applies; The estimated level of use of campus grounds by members of the public; How and when TAFE Western will provide the community with information about its pesticide applications in public places (i.e. what notification arrangements will be used); How the community can access this Plan and obtain more information about TAFE Western s notification arrangements; How future reviews of the Plan will be conducted; Contact details for anyone wishing to discuss this Plan with TAFE Western. 2. Public paces covered by this Plan TAFE Western operates at campuses throughout the Central, Northern and Far Western regions of NSW. This Pesticide Use Notification Plan applies to outdoor pesticide applications at the campuses set out in Table

3 Table 1: TAFE Western Campus Locations CAMPUS NAME ADDRESS Bathurst Panorama Avenue, Bathurst, NSW, 2795 Bourke Oxley Street, Bourke, NSW, 2840 Brewarrina Bourke Street, Brewarrina, NSW, 2839 Broken Hill (two campuses) Broken Hill Main 248 Argent Street, Broken Hill, NSW, 2880 Broken Hill Annexe Argent Street, Broken Hill, NSW, 2880 Cobar 45 Bathurst Street, Cobar, NSW, 2835 Condobolin Corner Turner and High Streets, Condobolin, NSW, 2877 Coonamble Dubbo Street, Coonamble, NSW, 2829 Cowra Carleton Street, Cowra, NSW, 2794 Dubbo Myall Myall Street, Dubbo, NSW, 2830 Dubbo (three campuses) Dubbo Fitzroy 8 George Street, Dubbo, NSW, 2830 Dubbo Narromine Mitchell Highway, Dubbo, NSW, 2830 Dunedoo Digilah Street, Dunedoo, NSW, 2844 Forbes (two campuses) Forbes Main Corner Browne and Harold Streets, Forbes, NSW, 2871 Forbes Annexe Mary Street, Forbes, NSW, 2871 Gilgandra Wamboin Street, Gilgandra, NSW, 2827 Grenfell Corner Rose and East Streets, Grenfell, NSW, 2810 Lightning Ridge Kaolin Street, Lightning Ridge, NSW, 2834 Lithgow 2 Hill Street, Lithgow, NSW, 2790 Menindee Bear Street, Menindee, NSW, 2879 Mudgee (two campuses) Mudgee Ulan Road 269 Ulan Road, Bombira, NSW, 2850 Mudgee Court Street 70 Court Street, Mudgee, NSW, 2850 Nyngan Cobar Street, Nyngan, NSW, 2825 Orange March 109 March Street, Orange, NSW, 2800 Orange (three campuses) Orange Forest 1587 Forest Road, Orange, NSW, 2800 Orange Anson 66 Anson Street, Orange, NSW, 2800 Parkes 25 Bushman Street, Parkes, NSW, 2870 Walgett Arthur Street, Walgett, NSW, 2832 Warren Burton Street, Warren, NSW, 2824 Wellington 43 Maughan Street, Wellington, NSW, 2820 Wilcannia Reid Street, Wilcannia, NSW, 2836 Pesticide Use Notification Plan 3

4 TAFE Western uses pesticides for educational purposes and campus maintenance. Generally: The least toxic chemical possible is used; Where practicable, pesticide use is undertaken in off-peak periods; Where practicable, pesticide use is the last resort once other pest control techniques do not prove effective; Pesticide use is minimised during the spring flowering period to avoid toxicity exposure to bees and other native insects. Table 2: Outdoor Locations Table 2 describes the categories of outdoor locations where pesticides are typically used within Institute grounds. Table 2 also provides an estimate of the level of the public usage by members of the public, of each area. AREA GROUP CONTACT USE Lawns and paved areas adjacent to outdoor seating Students Staff Contractors General public High Lawns / grassed areas Students Garden beds, landscaped areas (not lawns) Horticultural and agricultural areas used for educational purposes (greens, turf, vegetable gardens, vineyards, greenhouses, nurseries/ propagation sheds, paddocks/ animal pens and general landscaped areas) Exterior of buildings and ground immediately adjacent to buildings Roads, car parks, pathways, external stairs and other outdoor thoroughfares Staff Contractors General public Students Staff Contractors General public Students Staff Contractors General public Students Staff Contractors General public Students Staff Contractors General public Medium Medium Medium 4

5 Table 3: Sensitive Area Locations Table 3 sets out sensitive area locations relative to TAFE Western campuses. CAMPUS NAME Bathurst Brewarrina Broken Hill - Main Cobar Coonamble Cowra Dubbo Dunedoo Forbes Lightning Ridge Lithgow Menindee Nyngan Orange Parkes Walgett SENSITIVE LOCATION Early Childhood Student Practice Centre on site Hawthornden Creek subcatchment section, declared fish and amphibian habitat southern edge of site Brewarrina Childcare Centre shared laneway boundary Maari Ma Early Childhood Playhouse on site Cobar Oval and Bathurst Street Reserve adjacent Stormwater drain runs through site Coonamble Pre-School adjacent Cowra Men s Shed adjacent Shared boundaries with residential properties (Carleton Street, Liverpool Street) Dubbo Fitzroy Early Childhood Centre on site Dubbo Narromine Westview Caravan Park opposite site (Paddock 6 only) Dunedoo Central School adjacent Forbes Main Forbes Public School opposite site Lightning Ridge Central School adjacent Lithgow High School adjacent Menindee Central School shared site Nyngan High School shared site Orange March Early Childhood Centre on site Orange Forest Gosling Creek catchment feed Early Childhood Centre on site Walgett High School opposite site Pesticide Use Notification Plan 5

6 Table 4: Lessees Table 4 sets out TAFE Western campuses where other organisations hold lease agreements with TAFE Western. Where TAFE Western leases all or part of its facilities to another organisation, TAFE Western will: 1. Meet with the lessee to advise them of TAFE Western s Pesticide Use Notification Plan and provide the lessee with a copy; 2. Advise the lessee that they will be required to comply with the requirements of TAFE Western s Pesticide Use Notification Plan. TAFE Western will not provide notification of any lessee s pesticide use. CAMPUS NAME Bourke Dubbo Myall Street Forbes Grenfell Orange Forest Road Walgett LEASING ORGANISATION Mission Australia Western College SkillSet Weddin Community Native Nursery Orange Aboriginal Land Council Sureway 3. Notification arrangements and information provided This section of the Plan describes how and when TAFE Western will provide notice of pesticide use in public places, including: General notification requirements for medium and low use areas on Institute campuses; Additional notification requirements for high use or high contact areas on Institute campuses; Additional notification requirements for sensitive locations; Notification measures for small applications and emergency pest control. Notification encompasses both prior to, during and in some cases after events general staff and student , notice boards and relocatable signs immediately adjacent to the application area. These notification requirements are based on TAFE Western s assessment of: The level of usage of outdoor areas on campuses where pesticides may be used; The extent to which members of the public who are most likely to be sensitive to pesticides (e.g. young children, sick, pregnant and elderly people) and are likely to use these areas regularly; The extent to which activities generally undertaken in these areas could lead to some direct contact with pesticides (such as areas where food is consumed or other recreational activities that result in contact with the ground); Type of pesticide used. These notification arrangements apply to TAFE staff, contractors and anyone else using pesticides (and herbicides) on TAFE Western campus grounds. The provisions of this section notwithstanding, Section 3.6 of this Plan deals exclusively with the notification protocol for pesticide and herbicide application at the Dubbo Narromine Road Rural Skills Centre Extensive Agriculture operation No notification small applications TAFE Western uses small quantities of some pesticides for weed and insect control that are widely available in retail outlets and ordinarily used for domestic purposes (including home gardening). Where less than one (1) litre of non-concentrate/ready-to-use, or made-up (from concentrate), product, or one (1) kilogram of such pesticides are applied on any given day, no notice will be given provided the following conditions are met: Application is conducted using: Cut and paint or drill and fill technique application of herbicides; Hand-held sprays or backpack application for the purpose of spot control, using glyphosate or other readily-available domestic-purpose pesticides/herbicides; 6

7 Baits (e.g. mice, rats, cockroaches) readily available for domestic purposes at retail outlets; Small applications of commonly-used household pesticides other than the above; Application is not carried out within 10 metres of students or staff using outdoor areas unless students and staff present at the time of the application are advised verbally General notification requirements for low and lowmedium use areas on TAFE Western campuses The notification arrangements described in this section apply to the following categories of outdoor area, provided that usage is considered to be low / lowmedium: Lawns and paved areas adjacent to outdoor seating; Lawns / grassed areas; Garden beds, landscaped areas (not lawns); Horticultural and agricultural areas used for educational purposes (greens, turf, vegetable gardens, vineyards, greenhouses, nurseries/ propagation sheds, paddocks/animal pens and general landscaped areas); Exterior of buildings and ground immediately adjacent to buildings; Roads, car parks, pathways, external stairs and other outdoor thoroughfares; Any other outdoor areas of a campus. Where usage of these areas on a particular campus is considered to be high then the additional measures in section 3.2 apply. When applications occur in low / low-medium use areas the following measures will be taken: a. No notification is required; b. At least two re-locatable signs will be placed immediately adjacent to the application area, prior to commencement, and kept in place for the duration of the application. Signs will be located so they are easily seen by passers-by. The signs will be removed once the application is completed, unless the period of avoidance required by the pesticide manufacturer is still current (in which case signs will be removed once the avoidance period has expired). The signs will contain the following information: i. The date and time of the pesticide application; ii. The area/s to which the pesticide will be applied; iii. The full product name of the pesticide being used and its active ingredient; iv. The purpose of the use (for example kill weeds or insects); v. A phone number and address for the person who can be contacted for further information about the pesticide application; vi. Any warnings on the pesticide label about how long the area must be avoided after pesticide application. c. Where available and practicable, central noticeboards used by staff and students will have a notice in place 24 hours prior to the application occurring containing the information set out in (b) above. 3.3 General notification requirements for medium-high / high use or high potential contact areas on TAFE Western campuses The notification arrangements described in this section apply to the following categories of outdoor area, provided that usage is considered to be medium-high / high: Outdoor areas where students and/or staff congregate for social or educational functions as identified in Table 1; Any outdoor area where the potential for contact with the ground surface during use is high, even where overall usage is low / low-medium. a. An will be sent to all staff of that campus at least 24 hours before pesticide application occurs or as soon as practicable after the intention to apply pesticides is notified but before the application commences. The will contain the information set out in (b) below. Where applications are dependent on weather or other conditions the will indicate the time period during which application is anticipated to occur. b. Notifications to staff will contain the following information: i. The date and time of the pesticide application; ii. The area/s to which the pesticide will be applied; iii. The full product name of the pesticide being used and its active ingredient; iv. The purpose of the use (for example kill weeds or insects); v. A phone number and address for the person who can be contacted for further information about the pesticide application; vi. Any warnings on the pesticide label about how long the area must be avoided after pesticide application. Pesticide Use Notification Plan 7

8 c. At least two re-locatable signs will be placed immediately adjacent to the application area, 24 hours prior to commencement, and kept in place for the duration of the application. Signs will be located so they are easily seen by passers-by. The signs will be removed 24 hours after the application is completed, unless the period of avoidance required by the pesticide manufacturer is still current (in which case signs will be removed once the avoidance period has expired). The signs will contain the following information: i. The date and time of the pesticide application; ii. The area/s to which the pesticide will be applied; iii. The full product name of the pesticide being used and its active ingredient; iv. The purpose of the use (for example kill weeds or insects); v. A phone number and address for the person who can be contacted for further information about the pesticide application; vi. Any warnings on the pesticide label about how long the area must be avoided after pesticide application. d. Where available and practicable, central noticeboards used by staff and students will have a notice in place 24 hours prior to the application occurring containing the information set out in (c) above. 3.4 Additional notification requirements for sensitive locations A number of sensitive places are located on or near TAFE Western campuses. These places are listed in Table 3. In addition to the notification arrangements set out in sections 3.2 and 3.3, and the provisions of section 3.1 notwithstanding, the following arrangements will apply when pesticide application occurs on or adjacent to sensitive areas: The manager, principal or other contact person for the sensitive location will be notified in writing (or alternate contact method as nominated by that person) at least one week before planned use of pesticides in or near the area; Application will not take place until confirmation has been received by the contact person that the notification has been received; The notification will contain the following information: i. The date, time and place of the pesticide application; ii. The area/s to which the pesticide will be applied; iii. The full product name of the pesticide being used and its active ingredient; iv. The purpose of the use (for example kill weeds or insects); v. A phone number and address for the person who can be contacted for further information about the pesticide application; vi. Any warnings on the pesticide label about how long the area must be avoided after pesticide application. 3.5 Notification requirements for emergency pest control measures In cases where emergency pesticide applications are required to deal with biting or dangerous pests such as wasps, bees, venomous spiders, fleas, bird mites or rodents (that pose an immediate health hazard) one sign will be placed in the immediate area for the duration of the pesticide application and staff working in nearby buildings will be notified by . The sign will indicate that pesticide application is currently occurring and will contain the following information: Name of the pesticide (and active ingredient); Purpose of application; Significant health warnings associated with the pesticide; The expected duration; A contact name and phone number of a person who can provide further information. 8

9 These measures only apply to emergency applications. When planned pesticide applications are carried out for control of insects the notification measures described in sections 3.2 and 3.3 apply depending on the use of the area as assessed in Table 1. Every attempt will be made to notify the contact person for a sensitive area prior to the small or emergency applications of pesticides in or near sensitive areas. 3.6 Dubbo College Narromine Road Rural Skills Centre Extensive Agriculture Due to its differentiated nature as an agricultural operation as compared to other pesticide (herbicide) use on TAFE Western campuses and with reference to the paddock map included at Appendix 1: a. Based on their location and lack of proximity to public space, paddocks 3, 5 and 7 are exempt from any requirement to notify regarding pesticide use; b. Based on their location and the nature of the campus layout, paddocks 1, 2, 4 and 6 are exempt from the requirement to provide notification of pesticide use. Notification by signage (minimum of two) is required and may be restricted to advising weed spraying in progress without the need to specify the information as noted under Section 3.3 provided that: i. A telephone number is included on the signs specifying the contact number for a TAFE Western staff member who is able to provide advice on the full information requirements as would normally be provided on a sign as per the detail in Section 3.3 and ii. The telephone is answered when called. c. Paddock 6 is an identified sensitive location as per Table 3. The additional notification requirements as per Section 3.4 (points 1 and 2 only) apply when pesticide (herbicide) application is undertaken in Paddock Review of this plan This plan will be reviewed every three years or when circumstances require a review of the plan. The review will: Be undertaken by the Sustainability and Work, Health and Safety Units of TAFE Western; Prepare a report on progress of implementing the Plan, including a review of incidents logged that impact on pesticide use notification; Return the Plan to a public consultation stage if the review identifies that material changes are required to the Plan. 6. Contact details Anyone wishing to contact TAFE Western to discuss this Pesticide Use Notification Plan or to obtain details of pesticide applications on TAFE Western s campuses should contact: Sustainability Coordinator TAFE Western Institute or via the main switch How the community will be informed of this plan TAFE Western will advise the public of this Plan and its contents by: Placing a copy of the Plan on the Institute website; Placing a notice of the Plan in every local newspaper within the Institute s geographical footprint; Placing a notice in the NSW Government Gazette. Pesticide Use Notification Plan 9

10 Appendix 1: Paddock Layout Map Dubbo College Narromine Road Rural Skills Centre Extensive Agriculture 10

11 Pesticide Use Notification Plan 11

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