WPS Focus: Establishment Specific Information for Workers and Handlers

It is the agricultural employer’s (establishment owner or manager) responsibility to provide establishment specific information to workers and handlers working on their establishment. Establishment-specific information can be provided as part of a pesticide safety training with the following consideration. The information has to be specific to the establishment where the employees are working. This would make it difficult to incorporate the information into training when training occurs where employees attend from multiple establishments. It would also make it difficult to provide to employees of labor contractors that work on multiple establishments. In these cases, the owner of the establishment where the employees work would be best suited to provide the establishment-specific information separately from the pesticide safety training. The establishment specific information provided to workers and handlers is very similar as noted below.

Establishment-specific information for workers (§ 170.403)

Before any worker performs any activity in a treated area on an agricultural establishment where within the last 30 days a pesticide product has been used, or a restricted-entry interval for such pesticide has been in effect, the agricultural employer must ensure that the worker has been informed of, in a manner the worker can understand, all of the following establishment-specific information:

1. The location of pesticide safety information;
2. The location of pesticide application and hazard information (Safety Data Sheets);
3. The location of decontamination supplies.

Establishment-specific information for handlers (§ 170.503(b))

Before any handler performs any handler activity on an agricultural establishment where within the last 30 days a pesticide product has been used, or a restricted-entry interval for such pesticide has been in effect, the handler employer must ensure that the handler has been informed, in a manner the handler can understand, all of the following establishment-specific information:

1. The location of pesticide safety information;
2. The location of pesticide application and hazard information (Safety Data Sheets);
3. The location of decontamination supplies.

References:

Click here to visit the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) page of the EPA's website.

If you have additional questions about the new training requirements feel free to contact Marlene Larios, the Coordinator for the Worker Protection Standard.  Ms. Larios can be reached by phone at (804) 786-8934 or by email at marlene.larios@vdacs.virginia.gov. 

Ordering Copies of Worker Protection Standard Materials

A copy of the Pesticide Safety Poster can be downloaded for free from the PERC website for printing locally. You should have a printer capable of printing on 11" X 17" (tabloid) size paper or take it to a commercial printer. Click here to download a printable copy of the PERC pesticide safety poster.

While a number of WPS resources are available online, hardcopies of the pesticide safety posters and Respiratory Protection Guide can be ordered via the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC). To learn more about NPSEC click here.

  • To order pesticide safety posters click here.
  • To order a copy of the WPS Respiratory Protection Guide click here.