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Annual Chemical Safety Review

Once a year, set aside time to look at your whole chemical safety system. This guide offers a simple structure for the review and points to official sources for the rules that apply.

Why do a yearly review?

Farms change. New products arrive, old ones sit unused, workers come and go and buildings age. A yearly review catches the drift between how things were set up and how they are now.

It also gives the whole family or crew a chance to talk about safety in a calm moment, away from the pressure of planting or harvest.

Treat the review as a conversation and not an audit. People are more honest when they do not expect blame.

When is a good time?

Choose a quiet time before your busiest chemical season. Late winter works for many operations, but pick what suits yours, put it on the calendar and treat it like any other appointment. A review that is rushed on a cold afternoon tends to miss things, so give it enough time to be thorough.

Invite everyone who handles chemicals or lives on the property. Keep it short and practical, and have a notebook ready.

Consider setting the date at the same time every year so that it becomes part of the routine.

• Put the date on the calendar a year ahead.
• Invite everyone who handles chemicals.
• Bring the inventory and the binder of sheets.

What should the review cover?

Work through inventory and storage first, then labels and safety data sheets, protective equipment, emergency equipment, training, records and the emergency plan. Each area deserves a few honest questions.

Ask what has changed, what has gone wrong or nearly gone wrong, and what people are unsure about. The answers show you where to spend your time.

Bring the inventory, the binder of sheets and the emergency plan to the table so that everyone can look at the same things.

• Inventory: what is here, what is old, what is unlabeled.
• Storage: building, locks, containment, ventilation, separation.
• Equipment: protective gear, eye wash, showers, extinguishers.
• People: training, new workers, young helpers.
• Plans and records: emergency plan, contacts, inspection logs.

What should I do with old or unwanted products?

Identify products that are expired, unlabeled, damaged or no longer needed. Do not pour them out, burn them or bury them.

Ask your state department of agriculture or local waste authority about collection programs and disposal rules. Set the products aside in a secure place until you can get them to the right place.

Keep a record of what was disposed of, where it went and when, in case questions come up later.

How do I check my emergency plan?

Read your plan out loud and ask whether it still fits. Are the farm address and phone numbers right? Does everyone know who calls 911? Have you invited the local fire department to look at your storage?

Make sure first aid supplies are stocked and in date and that people know where emergency washing equipment is. Consider a first aid class from the Red Cross or another recognized provider.

If your phone coverage is poor in parts of the farm, add that to the plan and decide how you will call for help there. Ask the fire department what they would want to know about your farm before they arrive.

What rules should I recheck?

Rules about storage, training, records, pesticides and youth work change over time and differ by state. Use your review to ask OSHA, the EPA, your state department of agriculture and the U.S. Department of Labor whether anything has changed.

Write down what you learn and the date. Do not rely on memory or on what someone told you years ago.

How do I turn the review into action?

List the fixes, assign each to a person and give each a date. Start with anything that is an immediate hazard, then the changes that cost little, then the ones that need planning or money.

Keep the list with your records, and look at it again at your next quarterly walk-through. At the next annual review, start by asking what was fixed and what was not.

Consider asking a neighbor, your fire department or an extension educator to sit in. An outsider often spots hazards that regulars have stopped noticing. Finish the review by choosing one improvement that everyone agrees on, and do it first. A visible win builds the habit, and it shows the crew that the time spent on the review leads to real changes on the farm.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Farm Safety Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.