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Following discussions with agricultural establishments and State Lead Agencies (SLA), the EPA is proposing amendments to the Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) requirements of the Agency’s Worker Protection Standard ((WPS), 40 CFR part 170). According to the Agency, the “modest” amendments will improve enforceability for SLAs and reduce regulatory burdens for farmers.
In its revisions to the Worker Protection Standard ((WPS), November 2, 2015, Federal Register (FR)), the EPA introduced a new term—application exclusion zone (AEZ). AEZ replaced entry restricted area, a phrase included in the Agency’s proposal under which people other than approved pesticide handlers were prohibited from entering both outdoor areas treated with pesticides and […]
Beginning January 1, 2019, employers with employees who apply pesticides by spray to agricultural fields in Oregon will be subject to state rules to protect agricultural workers, the pesticide applicators, and others, including the families of these workers. The rules parallel those in EPA’s Worker Protection Standard (WPS) but, according to Oregon OSHA, are more […]
On December 22, 2016, The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (AFBF/NASDA) petitioned the EPA to delay by 1 year the January 1, 2017, compliance date for the Agency’s revised standards to improve protections for farm workers who apply or otherwise handle or are exposed to pesticides (Worker […]
