The Worker Protection Standard and Recent Amendments

Or see the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Database offered by the Government Printing Office, the official source for regulatory and legislative information. 

Recent Amendments

Warning Signs

Crop Advisors

Training Requirements

Decontamination

Gloves

Exceptions

Roses (Notice)

Limited Contact Activities

The Exception Process

Exception for Irrigation Activities

Interpretation and Guidance

The agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS regulation) has been in effect since 1992. Since the start of its implementation EPA has received requests from the Regions, State Lead Agencies, Tribes, and the regulated community for interpretation of the meaning of specific regulatory language contained in the regulation. In December 1992, the WPS Interpretive Guidance Workgroup (IGW) was formed to address the various questions about the meaning of certain terms and/or the intent of different provisions in the regulation. The work of the IGW was to ensure uniform interpretations of the WPS by the regulated community and those entities responsible for enforcement of the WPS. The IGW responded to all the known requests for WPS regulatory interpretation and completed its work in 1996. As part of its final work the IGW created a compilation of the IGW responses in a document entitled, "Agricultural Worker Protection Standard 40 CFR Parts 156 & 170 Interpretive Policy Questions and Answers."

As the regulated community, regulators, and other stakeholders became increasingly familiar with the requirements of the WPS regulation, the need for the IGW greatly diminished. However, in response to feedback from the national assessment of the worker protection program, the IGW was reconstituted in 2003 to address new issues that had arisen as a result of the continued field implementation of the WPS. The newly reformed IGW solicited issues from program stakeholders and has since received several requests for WPS clarifications. The first of these new requests for WPS interpretation have been addressed by the IGW and the responses are provided under the heading of " 2004 IGW Questions and Answers ."

Disclaimer

The Certification and Worker Protection Branch has developed this web site in an effort to expand access to environmental regulations.

The Code of Federal Regulations files for this site are taken from the Federal Register, 40 CFR Part 170. Use this electronic CFR file for informational purposes only. The only official electronic CFR files reside on the  Government Printing Office's Home Page, which provides an accurate redistribution of the official, authoritative paperbound volumes.

For more information, contact: pesticide-safety@epa.gov

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