Fertilizer Handling and Safety

How to safely store and use fertilizers

Yara produces high quality fertilizers from a variety of raw materials by different production technologies. The fertilizer handling and safety pages bring together various information about fertilizers to highlight the issues that can affect the quality and safe use of fertilizers and to give best practice advice to people working with fertilizers in the supply chain and as end users.

Fertilizer Technology

Yara fertilizers incorporate technologies to preserve the quality of the products. These include coating systems and anti-caking agents. It's also important to prevent dust, thermocycling and condensation.

Fertilizer Storage

Correct storage of fertilizer is important to ensure safety. Where possible, fertilizers should be stored in a closed, secure storage place to protect the product from the weather and reduce the risk of theft.

Storage of YaraVita Products

Pallets of YaraVita fertilizer should be stored in racking. Where racking is not possible, follow the pallet stacking guidelines. Certain combinations of pallets may be double stacked.

Safe Use of Fertilizer

Yara have produced a brochure on the safe use of fertilizers on farm to highlight and provide advice on all all of the health and safety issues that arise when using fertilizer on the farm.

Physical Properties of Fertilizers

The physical properties of a fertilizer are determined by its chemical composition and how it is produced. An understanding of product properties is useful for handling, storage and spreading of fertilizer.

Fertilizer Handling and Transport

It is important to handle and transport fertilizer safely while minimizing deterioration in quality. Correct handling and transportation of fertilizer should be based on climatic conditions, type of fertilizer and how it is shipped (bulk or bags).

Environment and Recycling

Fertilizers do not harm the environment when they are applied correctly, but wrong application may cause runoff into waterways that increases uncontrolled growth of algae and contributes to eutrophication.

Fertilizer Spreading Advice

When using fertilizers, the nutrients have to be spread accurately and evenly and at the right rate across the whole spreader width. A high quality fertilizer is important, but so is how you spread it!

Fertilizer security and safety

New chemical knowledge and legislation can cause phosphate fertilizers containing ammonium nitrate and other ingredients to be classified. These types of product might be classified as hazardous to humans and also to the environment.

Fertilizer Labeling

The label on the fertilizer bag contains important statutory information for transport, storage and handling of the fertilizer. The chemical composition of the product is stated on the bag in accordance with national regulation.

Download Yara's From Factory to Field Brochure (Properties and Handling of Yara Fetilizers)