These guidelines provide technical information on how to identify and manage the public health hazards and risks associated with the use of the following vertebrate toxic agents: all substances containing sodium fluoroacetate, potassium and sodium cyanide, yellow phosphorous and 3-chloro-p-toluidine hydrochloride.
The use of VTAs is covered by the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (the HSNO Act). Under the HSNO Act, operators intending to apply the above VTAs must obtain a permission from a warranted HSNO enforcement officer from a public health unit in the area of the proposed operation.
Under this regime, officers have the discretion to apply conditions to permissions to ensure that public health risks are assessed and managed effectively.
The Model Permit Conditions aim to help officers manage the risk to public health resulting from the use of VTAs in pest control operations.
Purpose
Purpose of the guidelinesProperly applied, these guidelines will assist officers in:
- assessing the hazard and risks posed by a proposed VTA operation
- applying the appropriate Model Permit Conditions
- modifying the Model Permit Conditions in response to the specific risk profile of each VTA operation.
- The guidelines will also help officers to appropriately communicate the risks of these operations to affected parties.