&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Enforcement
& Compliance Assurance
Washington, DC 20460
EPA 305-F-98-026a
September 1998
www.epa.gov
                                                             Ag  Center
                                                                     Helping Agriculture Comply with.
                                                                     Environmental Requirements
             FOCUS    ON
                      Information  Exchange Between

                      Commercial Handlers  and

                      Growers -  Part  I

                      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 risk of pesticide'related illness and injury if you (I)
                      use such pesticides, or (2) employ workers or pesticide handlers who are exposed to such
                      pesticides.

                      This fact sheet will help you understand how to comply with WPS requirements concerning the
                      information that commercial handlers and their customers must provide to each other about
                      pestidde'treated areas.
                      Information provided by
                      commercial handlers to growers
                      Commercial pesticide handlers (custom
                      applicators) must make sure that their
                      customer-the operator of the farm,
                      forest, nursery, or greenhouse-knows
                      certain information about the pesticide
                      before it is applied on the establishment.
                                       If the pesticide is not applied as
                                       scheduled, the customer must be
                                       informed of the corrected time and date
                                       of the application. Make the correction
                                       before the application takes place or as
                                       soon as practicable thereafter.

                                       Commercial pesticide handlers must
                                       inform their customers about:
                                       •  the specific location and description
                                          of the area(s) on the agricultural
                                          establishment that are to be treated
                                          with a pesticide,

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Supply tlie
information before
t/ie commercial
t  in    •  •:	*.'   '• -II
rummer performs
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establishment.
                              time and date the pesticide is
                              scheduled to be. applied,
                              product name, EPA registration
                              number, and active ingredient (s),
                              restricted-entry interval for the
                              pesticide,
                              whether the pesticide labeling
                              requires both treated-area posting
                              and oral notification, and
                              any other specific requirements on
                              the pesticide labeling concerning
                              protection of workers and other
                              persons during or after application.
 Your customers-the operators of
 agricultural establishments-must have
 this information to protect their
 employees as required by the WPS.

 Information provided by growers to
 commercial handlers
 Operators of farms, forests, nurseries,
 and greenhouses must make sure that,
 whenever a commercial pesticide
 handler will be doing pesticide handling
 tasks (including tasks as a crop advisor)
	on their establishment, the commercial
 handler's employer knows specific
 information concerning treated areas on
 the agricultural establishment.


 Operators of agricultural establishments
 must provide the following information
to the commercial pesticide handlers
they hire:
•   Specific location and description of
    any areas on the agricultural
    establishment:
    -   that may be treated with a
        pesticide or be under a
        restricted-entry interval while
        the commercial handler will be
        there, AND
    -  jthat the commercial handlers
        may be in (or walk within 1/4
        mile of).
•   Restrictions on entering those areas.
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Operators of commercial pesticide
handling establishments must have this
information to protect their employees
as required by the WPS.  They must
make sure that, whenever one of their
handlers will be doing pesticide handling
tasks (including tasks as a crop advisor)
on an agricultural establishment, he or
she is aware of the required information
concerning pesticide-treated areas on
the agricultural establishment.


For example, if custom applicators are
scheduled to use ground equipment to
apply a pesticide on a farm, they need to
be informed of any nearby areas on the
farm that they should stay out of
because the area has an REI in effect.
Or if commercial crop advisors are
                          Ag Center Fact Sheet Series
                          Agrichemicals/WPS - Information Exchange 1
                                                                             Page 2

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 Agr (chemicals
                        scheduled to scout in an area on a farm
                        that remains under an REI, they need to
                        be told what personal protective
                        equipment they should wear while in
                        that area.
The Ag Center
welcomes
comments on this
document and its
other services.
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. 5* Street
                          Kansas City, KS 66 1 01
  Toll-free:
  Internet:
  Fax:
                                     1-888-663-2155
                                     www.epa.gov/oeca/ag
                                     913-551-7270

                                  United States Environmental
                                  Protection Agency
                                  Washington, DC 20460
                        Ag Center Fact Sheet Series
                                                                          Pages

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