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WORKER PROTECTION STANDARD (WPS) RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPLIANCE

Summary

The goal of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is to reduce the risks of illness and injury to agricultural workers and pesticide handlers resulting from exposure to pesticides during the production of agricultural plants on agricultural establishments. It requires agricultural employers and commercial pesticide handler employers to provide specific information when WPS-labeled pesticide products are being used. Additionally, it requires owners of agricultural establishments to provide protections for themselves and their immediate families, requires those handling pesticides to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), and requires protections for persons present during pesticide applications. The WPS for agricultural pesticides was originally published in 1992. It was amended several times in 1995, 1996, 2004, and most recently in 2015. These revisions were intended to strengthen existing rules and better protect workers and handlers from occupational exposure to pesticides.