| Worker
Protection Standard |
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following deals with US EPA's Worker Protection Standard (WPS) which
went into full effect on January 1, 1995. Anyone who uses pesticides
in the production of an agricultural plant on farms, forests, nurseries
or in greenhouses and employes agricultural workers or pesticide handlers
must comply with the WPS. This is intended to be used as an outline and
does not fully address the WPS. Total compliance will best be achieved
by following the US EPA's "How to Comply Manual". You can view the "How
to Comply Manual" through the US EPA website by clicking
here. |
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| Covered
Uses: |
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Growing
an agricultural plant on a |
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a. |
Farm |
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b. |
Forest |
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c. |
Nursery
or in a |
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d. |
Greenhouse |
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| Non WPS Uses: |
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Right-of-Way |
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Pasture
or Rangeland |
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Livestock
and their premise |
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Rodent
control |
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Mosquito
abatement |
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Harvested
portion of crops (such as grain) |
| Protection
for Workers and Handlers |
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A. |
Bulletin
Board |
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Safety
poster (not required for commercial handling establishments) |
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Nearest
emergency medical facility |
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List of pesticide applications |
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1. |
Location |
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2. |
Product name |
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3. |
EPA Reg. # |
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4. |
Active ingredient |
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5. |
Time and date |
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6. |
Restricted entry interval (REI) |
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B. |
Pesticide safety training for workers and handlers |
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Handler - Mixes, loads or applies a pesticide, crop consultant
or works on application equipment. |
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Worker - Does hand labor in a pesticide treated area (within
30 days after an application) such as harvesting, weeding, pruning, etc..... |
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Handlers
must be trained before performing any handling task. |
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Workers
must be trained before 5 days of entry into a pesticide treated area. |
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Training
is valid for 5 years. |
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Content
of the training is in the "How-to-Comply
Manual". |
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No
requirement to document training; however, you probably should document
the training. Training can be provided by commercial or private applicators,
Extension Educators, or Transition Resources Incorporated for training
in Spanish - contact Santiago Tijerina @ 317-547-1924. |
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C. |
Decontamination
Site* |
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For Workers: soap, water, paper towels |
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For Handlers: soap, water, paper towels and a change of clothes. |
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*must
be within 1/4 mile of work site. |
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D. |
Emergency assistance |
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Provide transportation |
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Provide information about pesticide exposure |
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E. |
Notice about applications |
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Employer must inform workers about current applications and
areas under REI. |
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Some pesticides may require posting. |
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Posting is not for the general public. |
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Post only if stated on the label. |
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No posting if workers will not be within 1/4 mile of treated
area during REI. |
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F. |
Employer information exchange |
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Commercial
handlers must inform their customers (farmers) about: |
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Location |
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Time and date |
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Product name |
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EPA Reg. # |
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Active ingredient |
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REI |
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Oral and posted warnings |
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Farmers must inform Dealers about any areas that may be under
a REI while the Dealer applicator is on the farm. |
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G. |
Exemptions |
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If
only the agricultural owner and the immediate family are employed. |
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Spouse, children, stepchildren, foster children, parents,
step-parents, foster parents, brothers and sisters |
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then they are exempt from the following: |
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Bulletin board |
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Safety training |
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Decontamination site |
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Emergency assistance |
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Notice about applications |
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Owners and immediate family must still follow all specific
label instructions. |
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| Still
confused???? If you have questions or concerns about WPS, contact Joe
at 765-494-1589 or becovitzj@purdue.edu. |
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