EPA has released a revised version of the Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides How-to-Comply Manual. This compliance assistance tool has been updated to reflect amendments to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) since 1993. This federal regulation is designed to protect agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. The revised manual provides detailed information concerning who is covered by the WPS and how to meet regulatory requirements. The updated manual will facilitate better protection of pesticide workers and handlers in agriculture from the potential risks of pesticides.

The new 2005 WPS How-to-Comply Manual supersedes the 1993 version. Changes to the WPS have now made the earlier version obsolete. Its continued use may lead growers to be out of compliance with the WPS.

About The Revised Manual
The original 1993 WPS How to Comply (HTC) Manual has been updated to reflect amendments made to the WPS in 1995, 1996 and 2004. The new manual includes information on all recent regulatory amendments and administrative exceptions, such as:

• changes in the WPS worker training requirement that requires untrained workers to be provided basic pesticide information before entering pesticide-treated areas;
• reduction in the number of days decontamination supplies must be available to workers after application of low-risk pesticides, and the supplies are to be located together;
• modification in the language requirements for treatedarea warning signs;
• modification in the size requirements for treated-area warning signs;
• early-entry exception for irrigation tasks and for limited contact tasks;
• optional use of separable glove liners beneath chemicalresistant gloves;
• optional wearing of gloves by agricultural pilots when entering or leaving aircraft; and
• exemption for certified or licensed crop advisors and persons under their direct supervision.

The revised manual also contains additional resources to assist agricultural employers to comply:

• Warning Sign Size Specifications for Greenhouses and Nurseries;
• Early-Entry Exceptions Chart;
• Crop Advisors Chart;
• WPS Requirement to Provide Basic Pesticide Safety Information to Untrained Workers; and
• EPA Chemical Resistance Category Chart.

To further assist agricultural employers with WPS compliance, EPA also offers a CD-ROM version of the revised WPS HTC manual which contains several additional compliance assistance tools not available with the printed version of the manual. The CD-ROM version of the HTC manual also contains:

• EPA’s WPS Worker Training Handbook (English/Spanish);
• EPA’s WPS Handler Training Handbook (English and Spanish);
• 13 additional WPS fact sheets;
• EPA’s Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings handbook; and
• Several other related references.

How To Obtain The HTC Manual
The new HTC manual is available in PDF format on the web at http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/htc.html. It is also available in paper and CD-ROM versions through EPA’s Agricultural Compliance Assistance Center (888) 663-2155. Information about obtaining the revised manual is also available through Paul Andre in the Pesticide Program at the Missouri Department of Agriculture at Paul.Andre@mda.mo.gov or 573.751.9334.

Paul Andre
Missouri Department of Agriculture
573-751-9334