See full requirements at 40 CFR 170.311(b).
For additional details, see the Designated Representative section of this webpage or Chapter 2 of the WPS How to Comply Manual.
clean or repair pesticide application equipment or.mix, load or apply agricultural pesticides.The WPS protects two types of employees on farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses from occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides: To learn more about the AEZ, please visit. At this time, there is no implementation of the 2020 AEZ rule (a preliminary injunction has stayed the effective date of the 2020 AEZ rule and enjoined EPA from implementing the 2020 revisions). To view the final rule, please visit docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0543. On October 30, 2020, EPA finalized updates to the Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) provisions under the WPS regulation. The AEZ is the area surrounding pesticide application equipment that exists only during outdoor production pesticide applications. Among the 2015 revisions was a new provision requiring agricultural employers to keep workers and all other individuals out of an area called the “application exclusion zone” (AEZ) during outdoor pesticide applications. In 2015, EPA finalized various significant revisions to the 1992 WPS. Read the memorandum on the termination here.Īlso in June 2020, EPA released guidance regarding the annual pesticide safety training requirements outlined in the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) that offers flexibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Specifically, on June 1, 2020, EPA issued the memorandum titled, " Statement Regarding Respiratory Protection Shortages and Reduced Availability of Respirator Fit Testing Related to Pesticide Uses Covered by the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency," and an amendment extending the "annual fit test" option on May 6, 2021.ĭue to improvements in access to NIOSH-approved respirators, fit testing supplies and related services, EPA will be terminating the June 2020 memorandum and its May 2021 amendment effective August 19, 2021. In response to shortages of personal protective equipment and related services caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency, EPA issued temporary guidance regarding respirator protection to agricultural employers and handlers using agricultural pesticide products. WPS and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency WPS and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.