MSU Pesticide News - July 3rd, 2018
Agricultural Establishments should only use EPA Approved Expanded Worker Protection Standard Materials when Training Pesticide Workers or Handlers
Cecil Tharp (MSU Pesticide Education Specialist)
EPA is announcing the availability of new training materials covering the expanded pesticide safety training content required by the 2015 Worker Protection Standard (WPS) for training both agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. You may be affected by the 2015 Worker Protection Standard (WPS) if you work or employ individuals working in crop production agriculture where pesticides are applied including: agricultural establishments (i.e. farms, orchards, groves, greenhouses, and nurseries), tree production, timber tract operations and forest nurseries. Further definition of WPS and proposed 2015 revisions are available in the 2016 Revised WPS Protections.
Training materials are available on the Pesticide Education Resources Collaborative (PERC) website. As of December 19, 2018, WPS pesticide safety training of handlers and workers must be conducted using the new EPA-approved materials that have the expanded WPS content. These PERC materials are approved by EPA and contain the content required by the 2015 revised WPS. Other EPA approved training materials developed by other organizations are available on the PERC website while others are proprietary.
For general information on WPS, navigate to the EPA website or view the MSU PEP website. Individuals may also obtain complete WPS manuals titled “How to Comply with the 2015 Revised Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides: What Owners and Employers Need to Know” by downloading from the MSU PEP website or obtaining hard copies from MSU Extension Distribution. WPS questions should be directed to the Environmental Protection Agency (Jennifer Park; 703-347- 0121; [email protected]) or contact a Montana Department of Agriculture field agent. Contact Cecil Tharp, MSU Pesticide Education Specialist (406-994-5067; [email protected]) with other pesticide education questions.