UPDATE 



Amendments to the Federal Worker Protection Standard 



Bob Wo/ff 



In response to comments and petitions made by 

 various interest groups and organizations. EPA 

 named revisions to five elements of the Worker 

 Protection Standard (WPS). Amendments were made 

 that affect worker training requirements and the re- 

 sponsibilities of crop advisors Exceptions were 

 granted regarding certain limited-contact activities and 

 for irrigation activities. EPA has also issued a final 

 policy statement allowing reduction in restricted entry 

 intervals (REls) for certain low-risk pesticides. 



The most important aspects of the changes that are 

 likely to affect growers in New Hampshire are summa- 

 rized below. You should address any questions re- 

 garding the standard to your appropriate state agency 

 In New Hampshire, it is the Department of Agriculture 

 Markets and Food. Division of Pesticide Control. 603- 

 271-3550 



Rule Amendment Regarding Training Requirements 



WPS requires that agricultural workers be given pesti- 

 cide safety training if they are to be working in areas 

 that, within the previous 30 days, had been treated 

 with pesticide. The original standard allows a 15-day 

 grace period. Under the amendment, this reverts to a 

 5-day grace period on January 1, 1996. 



The amended standard imposes an additional re- 

 quirement that workers who have not been trained re- 

 ceive at least basic pesticide safety information prior 

 to entering any treated area. Such workers would still 

 have to be given the full training before their 6th day 

 of work in such an area. 



The basic safety information (which is not the same 

 as training) must tell workers that pesticides may be 

 on or in plants, soil, or irrigation water, or drifting 

 from nearby applications Workers must also be ad- 

 vised to prevent pesticides from entering their bodies 

 by : 

 1 Following all directions and/or signs about keeping 



out of treated or restricted areas 

 ^ Washing before eating, drinking, using chewing gum 



or tobacco, or using the toilet 

 1 Wearing work clothing that protects the body from 



pesticide residues 

 1 Washing/showering with soap and water, shampoo- 

 ing hair, and putting on clean clothes after work 

 1 Washing work clothes separately from other clothes 



before wearing them again 

 1 Washing immediately in the nearest clean water if 

 pesticides are spilled or sprayed on the body, and 

 as soon as possible thereafter, showering, shampoo- 

 ing, and changing into clean clothes. 

 Finally, these workers must be told that they will be 

 given full training within five days. This information 



may be presented orally or in the form of written ma- 

 terial. 



Note, for those of you who have the EPA "Protect 

 Yourself from Pesticides" safety poster, the above out- 

 lined safety information is identical to the information 

 on the poster (except for the requirement to inform 

 workers that they will receive full training with five 

 days I 



Rule Amendment Pertaining to Crop Advisors 



The amendment exempts licensed or certified crop 

 advisors and persons performing crop advisor tasks 

 under their direct supervision from WPS requirements 

 pertaining to personal protective equipment (PPE|, 

 decontamination, and emergency assistance. It is the 

 responsibility of the licensed crop advisor to make 

 determinations as to what PPE and decontamination 

 supplies, etc. will be appropriate to conduct the tasks 

 safely. This information, plus information about any 

 pesticide products that might have been applied, 

 method and time of application, REI, etc., must be 

 conveyed by the crop advisor to each person under 

 his or her direct supervision prior to entering the 

 treated area. Furthermore, under the amended rule, a 

 worker who is a certified crop advisor need not be 

 given pesticide safety training for workers, provided 

 that requirements for certification included the pesti- 

 cide safety training components of WPS 



Exception for Early Entry Restrictions for Limited 

 Contact Activities 



This exception, which went into effect on May 3, 1995, 

 relaxes some of the restrictions on early entry activi- 

 ties where a worker's contact with treated surfaces will 

 be minimal and limited to feet, lower legs, hands, and 

 forearms. Under this exception, workers may perform 

 early entry tasks for up to 8 hours in 24 (as opposed 

 to the previous limit of only one hour in 24). They 

 must, however, wear either the personal protective 

 equipment specified for early-entry activities on the 

 pesticide label, or at least coveralls, chemical-resis- 

 tant gloves, socks, and chemical-resistant footwear. 

 They must also wear eyewear where eyewear is re- 

 quired by the label for early entry. 



It is important to keep in mind that all other re- 

 quirements pertaining to early-entry activities are still 

 in force: 



1 No hand labor tasks may be performed 

 1 The need for the task could not have been fore- 

 seen nor delayed 

 ? No entry will be allowed for the first four hours, 

 and until any applicable ventilation criteria have 

 been met 



The Plantsman 



