How To Comply With the Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides: What Employers Need To Know

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EPA 735-B-06-002, September 2005, Reprinted June 2006

The Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides How To Comply Manual has been updated to reflect amendments to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS), a regulation designed to protect agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. The WPS contains requirements for pesticide safety training, notification of pesticide applications, use of personal protective equipment, restricted entry intervals following pesticide application, decontamination supplies, and emergency medical assistance. The revised manual provides detailed information on 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 (HTC) Manual supersedes the 1993 version. Changes to the WPS since 1993 have made the earlier version obsolete, and its continued use may lead an employer to be out of compliance. The 2005 HTC Manual revision was coordinated by EPA's National Agricultural Compliance Assistance Center and a workgroup consisting of representatives from EPA Headquarters, EPA Regional Offices, and several state agencies, with input solicited from USDA and other state and tribal pesticide agencies.

The links below provide information for employers to comply with the WPS, including a Quick Reference Guide, sample forms, fact sheets, and checklists. The document can be downloaded as one large file or in smaller sections by unit.

Download full PDF version (PDF, 4,042KB)

• Cover Page (PDF, 442KB, 1 page)
• Introduction (Pages i - x) (PDF, 547KB, 10 pages)
  • The Importance of this Manual (Page i) (PDF, 463KB, 1 page)
  • Who Needs to Read this Manual? (Page ii) (PDF, 488KB, 1 page)
  • About this Manual (Page iii) (PDF, 471KB, 1 page)
  • Contact Information (Page iv) (PDF, 693KB, 1 page)
  • Helpful Web Sites (Page v) (PDF, 458KB, 1 page)
  • Contents (Page ix - x) (PDF, 497KB, 2 pages)
• Unit 1: Quick Reference Guide (Pages 1 - 4) (PDF, 601KB, 4 pages)
• Unit 2: An Introduction to the Worker Protection Standard (Pages 5 - 16) (PDF, 1,117KB, 12 pages)
• Unit 3: What Employers Must Do for Both Workers and Handlers (Pages 17 - 28) (PDF, 738KB, 12 pages)
• Unit 4: Further Requirements for Employers of Workers (Pages 29 - 56) (PDF, 1,283KB, 28 pages)
  • Part A: Protections for All Agricultural Workers (Pages 31 - 38) (PDF, 531KB, 8 pages)
  • Part B: Special Application Restrictions in Nurseries and Greenhouses (Pages 39 - 44) (PDF, 460KB, 6 pages)
  • Part C: Early Entry (Pages 45 - 56) (PDF, 1,110KB, 12 pages)
• Unit 5: Further Requirements for Employers of Handlers (Pages 57 - 68) (PDF, 581KB, 13 pages)
• Unit 6: Owner Exemptions and Crop Advisors (Pages 69 - 80) (PDF, 533KB, 13 pages)
• Appendix A: Criteria for WPS Materials (Pages 81 - 90) (PDF, 497KB, 11 pages)
• Appendix B: Sample Forms, Fact Sheets and Checklists (Pages 91 - 116) (PDF, 1,283KB, 27 pages)
• Appendix C: Quick Reference Guide to the Worker Protection Standard (Pages 117 - 124) (PDF, 632KB, 9 pages)
• Index (Pages 125 - 128) (PDF, 469KB, 5 pages)

2005 WPS HTC Errata Sheet - This errata sheet applies to copies of the HTC Manual downloaded from the Ag Center's Web site before December 30, 2005.

About the HTC Manual
The original 1993 WPS HTC Manual has been updated to reflect amendments made to the WPS in 1995, 1996, and 2004. The new 2005 WPS HTC Manual supersedes the 1993 version. Changes to the WPS since 1993 have now made the earlier version obsolete and its continued use may lead an employer to be out of compliance. The revised 2005 WPS HTC Manual provides detailed information on who is covered by the WPS regulation and how to meet the regulatory requirements. 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 requirement that supplies are to be located together
• Modification in the language requirements for treated-area 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 chemical-resistant gloves
• Optional wearing of gloves by agricultural pilots when entering or leaving aircraft
• Exemption for certified or licensed crop advisors and persons under their direct supervision

The revised manual now also contains additional resources to assist agricultural employers to comply, such as new checklists and charts:

• Warning Sign Size Specifications for Greenhouses and Nurseries
• Early-Entry Exceptions Chart
• Crop Advisors Chart - includes the summary of WPS requirements for the employers of crop advisors
• WPS Requirement to Provide Basic Pesticide Safety Information to Untrained Workers; and
• EPA Chemical Resistance Category Chart - used when personal protective equipment (PPE) section on a pesticide label lists a chemical resistance category

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

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

To order the HTC Manual on CD-ROM with additional resources, please contact the Ag Center at agcenter@epa.gov or by calling the toll free number (1-888-663-2155). When ordering, please use EPA document number EPA 305-C-05-001.

The WPS Quick Reference Guide
The Quick Reference Guide lists the maximum WPS requirements. Fulfilling these maximum requirements will help you comply with the WPS. The brochure is available in both black/white and color.
Quick Reference Guide Tri-fold Brochure: Federal Version - Black/White* (PDF, 547KB, 2 pages)
Quick Reference Guide Tri-fold Brochure: Federal Version - Color* (PDF, 547KB, 2 pages)

The Ag Center has developed a version of the Quick Reference Guide in Microsoft Word that allows state/tribe-specific information to be added to the Quick Reference Guide. If you would like to obtain an electronic file of the Quick Reference Guide that you can edit, please contact the Ag Center at agcenter@epa.gov or by calling the toll free number (1-888-663-2155). The brochure is available in both black/white and color. To view the editable brochure in PDF, please use the links below:
Quick Reference Guide Tri-fold Brochure: Editable Version for States/Tribes - Black/White* (PDF, 547KB, 2 pages)
Quick Reference Guide Tri-fold Brochure: Editable Version for States/Tribes - Color* (PDF, 547KB, 2 pages)

*Be sure to check the tri-fold brochure for proper printing alignment before copying.

Related Information
Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides
Worker Protection Standard Publications
Worker Protection Standard Fact Sheets Developed by the Ag Center

Worker Safety Information from EPA
Worker Protection Standard Regulations
Basic Principles of Worker Protection Standard
Worker Safety and Training

WPS Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Information
Worker Protection Standard Compliance Monitoring Program
Worker Protection Standards Inspection and Enforcement Accomplishments Report
Worker Protection Standard Inspections

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