Worker Protection Standard Resources | |
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| April 28, 1999 | |
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The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is a regulation issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is designed to limit workers’ exposure to pesticides, reduce adverse health effects when exposure occurs, and inform and educate workers about hazards associated with occupational pesticide exposure.
If you employ even one person and produce agricultural plants on a farm or in a forest, nursery, or greenhouse, you must comply with all or part of the WPS provisions. This definition includes sod production as well as the production of ornamental and bedding plants. The provisions do not apply to landscape maintenance operations, home gardens, or greenhouses.
During 1999, the Illinois Department of Agriculture will be conducting WPS-specific compliance inspections. To find out more about the WPS provisions, consider accessing the University of Illinois Pesticide Safety Education Web site (http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/~pse; then select “Other Resources”). At this site, you can read and print the following publications: The WPS: A Quick Guide to the Rule, a new trifold introductory brochure; The Worker Protection Standard in Illinois, a new 19-page summary of EPA’s How to Comply Manual; and The WPS Resource Guide for Illinois Agricultural Employers (recently revised). If you do not have Internet access, stop by your local U of I Extension office and ask for a printed copy of these materials. There may be a small printing fee. (Bruce Paulsrud and Phil Nixon) | |
| Author: | Phil Nixon Bruce Paulsrud |
