Issues affecting pest control in breweries in the 1990's.

Breusch, T.A. and Shkiele, J.

Abstract
The control of insect and rodent pests in breweries in many countries is now subject to increasingly strict legal regulation as a result of public concern about health and environmental safety. Guidelines for US brewers on how to comply with the law and cope with other associated problems while maintaining an effective level of pest control, without incurring unacceptably high costs, are presented. Areas covered include the provision of information for employees, coping with government inspections (e.g. by having inspections privately carried out according to official standards, so that defects can be remedied before the authorities find them, and by having maintenance personnel standing by during official inspections in order to correct any defects found by the inspector as soon as they are discovered), the transport of hazardous materials, safety legislation concerning the application of pesticides in confined spaces, restrictions on fumigation and on the use of aerosols imposed by legislation for the control of atmospheric pollution, documentation and reporting requirements, the effects of differences in state laws and local government regulations, problems with the registration by pesticide manufacturers of their products with the state and federal authorities, precautions to prevent situations arising where the brewery might be liable to civil action for damages as a result of alleged pesticide poisoning or pollution, insurance cover, dealing with the news media, the problem of maintaining a properly qualified workforce, countermeasures against the development of resistance by pests and preventing pests from entering the premises from elsewhere (e.g. via deliveries of raw materials). New developments in pest control technology are briefly described.
Keywords : environmental protection legislation management pesticide safety