&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Enforcement
& Compliance Assurance
Washington, DC 20460
EPA 305-F-98-025
September 1998
vwwv.epa.gov
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Ag Center
Helping Agriculture Comply with
Environmental Requirements
FOCUS
O N
Equipment With Enclosed
Cabs
The Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is a regulation issued by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 and amended in 1995. It covers pesticides that are
used in the production of agricultural plants on farms, forests, nurseries, and greenhouses. The
WPS requires 'you to take steps to reduce the 'isk of pesticide-related illness and injury if you (1)
use such pesticides, or (2) employ workers or
pesticides.
pesticide handlers who are exposed to such
This fact sheet will help you understand how
people from pesticide exposure while they are
Features of enclosed cabs
Enclosed cabs must have a nonporous
barrier that totally surrounds the
occupants and prevents contact with
pesticides outside of the cab.
Enclosed cabs that provide respiratory
protection must have a properly
functioning ventilation system that is
used and maintained according to the
manufacturer's written operating
instructions. The cab must be declared
in writing by the manufacturer or by a
to comply with WPS requirements for protecting
vorking in vehicles that have enclosed cabs.
governmental agency to provide at least
as much respiratory protection as the
type of respirator listed on the pesticide
labeling.
Some enclosed-cab systems provide
respiratory protection equivalent to a
dust/mist filtering respirator and could,
therefore, be used as a substitute when
that type of respirator is specified on the
product labeling. Other enclosed-cab
systems are equipped to remove organic
vapors as well as dusts and mists and
could be used as a substitute when either
the dust/mist filtering respirator or an
organic-vapor-removing respirator is
specified on the product labeling.
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These exceptions to
PPE are allowed
unless expressly
prohibited by
product labeling.
PPE exceptions
You may allow handlers to omit some of
the personal protective equipment (PPE)
listed on the pesticide labeling for a
handling task if the handlers are using
an enclosed cab.
Even when reduced PPE is permitted to
be worn during a task, handlers must be
provided all PPE required by the
pesticide labeling for that task and have
it immediately available for use in an
emergency.
keep immediately available all PPE
listed on the labeling for the type of
task being performed,
wear the PPE if it is necessary to
leave the cab and contact pesticide-
treated surfaces in the treated area,
take off PPE that was worn in the
treated area before reentering the
cab, and
store all PPE in a chemical-resistant
container, such as a plastic bag, to
prevent contamination of the inside
of the cab.
The Ag Center
welcomes
comments on this
document and its
other services.
In an enclosed cab that does not provide
respiratory protection, handlers need not
wear all the PPE listed on the pesticide
labeling, but must wear at least:
long-sleeved shirt and long pants,
shoes and socks, and
any respirator required for the
handling task.
In an enclosed cab that provides
respiratory protection equal to the
labeling-required respirator, handlers
need not wear all the PPE listed on the
pesticide labeling, but must wear at least:
long-sleeved shirt and long pants,
and
shoes and socks.
In any enclosed cab where reduced PPE
is worn, handlers must:
For more information
You can get more facts about
compliance by calling the Ag Center's
toll-free number. Materials can be sent
to you by fax or mail, or you can talk to
an Ag Center representative. For a list
of all publications available from the Ag
Center, request document number
10001, "Ag Center Publications."
National Agriculture Compliance
Assistance Center
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 661 01
Toll-free:
Internet:
Fax:
1-888-663-2155
www.epa.gov/agriculture
913-551-7270
United States Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460
Ag Center Fact Sheet Series
Agrichemicals/WPS - Equipment With Enclosed Cabs
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