Come clean go clean

A step by step guide to vehicle wash down

Cleanliness of vehicles and machinery is vital in reducing the risk of introducing unwanted pests and diseases to your property.

Do not allow dirty vehicles and machinery to enter or leave your farm.

Come clean, go clean!Follow this simple step by step guide and help protect your farm against unwanted pests, weeds and diseases.

Step 1 – Wash down

• Park your vehicle on a clean wash down pad making sure the surface is cement or gravel.
• Apply high pressure water to all surfaces of the vehicle to remove trash and mud.
• Wash under wheel arches, in tyre treads, side steps, ute trays and other areas where trash and mud can remain trapped.
• Assess the risks associated with working on wet and slippery surfaces. Wear appropriate PPE if working with high pressure water.

Step 2 – Decontamination

• Apply a suitable disinfectant liberally to all vehicle surfaces making sure you hit all areas that were covered with dirt, mud or trash.
• Apply disinfectant to mats, tools and footwear, or if available use a foot bath to decontaminate your boots.
• Make sure you clean vehicle foot pedals and other surfaces that have come into contact with dirty footwear.
• As a general rule, leave the disinfectant to work for 10 minutes unless directed otherwise by the label.
• Make sure you read the MSDS and follow the label of any disinfectant product used.

Step 3 - Final rinse

• Rinse disinfectant from all surfaces being sure to get into crevices where some residual mud or trash might be trapped.
• Drive off the wash pad to a dry surface trying to avoid picking up mud and debris on wet tyres.
• Don’t leave the wash down pad in a mess! Clean all mud off the pad with high pressure water so it is clean for the next person.
• Now you can move on to the next farm with confidence you have minimised the risk of carrying pests, weeds and diseases.

Come clean, go clean

Practicing these simple steps at the farm gate level significantly reduces the risk of spreading pests, weeds and diseases.

Diseases like rice blast and Fusarium wilt, pests like potato cyst nematode, and weeds like parthenium weed can cause serious damage to Australian agriculture.

If you care about your industry and are keen to protect your livelihood, then help prevent the spread of unwanted pests, weeds and diseases: come clean, go clean!

For more information on farm biosecurity visit www.farmbiosecurity.com.au