Position Paper
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In this section
Worker Protection Standards
CropLife America strongly supports and advocates for regulatory and legislative standards for the protection of pesticide applicators. The health and safety of America’s farm workers are of critical concern to this industry. CropLife America promotes product stewardship and advocates for rigorous scientific studies of pesticide exposures in order to further ensure the safety of these workers. |
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Background
In August of 1992, the EPA enacted the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) regulation (40 CFR Part 170) under the authority of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The WPS is a federal regulation designed to protect the estimated 2.5 million employees in more than 600,000 agricultural establishments across the U.S. from occupational exposures to agricultural pesticides while they are mixing, loading and applying these products. This regulation requires education and training, protective equipment, the posting of product safety information, and in some cases, licensing. These steps ensure that workers are guaranteed access to the equipment and information they need to perform their work safely and effectively.
CropLife America's Position
- CLA supports the WPS as a systematic and uniform approach to protect the safety of those who produce our nation’s food and fiber.
- The WPS is based on sound scientific principles that allow food production to flourish while providing the best protection possible for farm workers, pesticide handlers and applicators.
- The WPS program should be improved and made more effective by better enforcement of the existing rule, rather than significant additional regulation.