What is the primary piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear when mixing and loading pesticides?

When mixing and loading pesticides, wearing gloves is crucial as they serve as the first line of defense against skin absorption of harmful chemicals. Pesticides can be highly toxic, and direct contact with the skin can pose serious health risks. Gloves prevent the pesticides from contaminating your skin, thus significantly reducing the risk of exposure and potential health issues.

While other forms of personal protective equipment—like respirators, protective suits, and ear protection—also play important roles in ensuring safety in different contexts, gloves are specifically vital during the mixing and loading stages to protect the hands, which have a high risk of coming into contact with pesticides. Respirators may be necessary for airborne particulates and vapors, and protective suits provide overall body coverage, but gloves are specifically designed to handle the immediate risk associated with direct contact during the preparation of pesticide applications. Ear protection is generally not relevant to this particular task, as it pertains more to noise exposure rather than chemical safety.