Assessing compliance issues associated with implementation of revised agricultural worker protection regulations

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Regulation (40 CFR 170) was established in 1992. In 2015, revisions to the regulation were signed and finalized to increase protections from pesticide exposure for the nation's two million farm workers and their families. The EPA indicated that the revisions will be implemented in phases to allow for the necessary changes to training and compliance assistance materials for effective implementation. A recommendation from the EPA's outreach and implementation strategy is to utilize prior outreach and existing stakeholder relationships in tailoring efforts to educate agricultural workers about the health-related dangers of working with and around pesticides, and how the revised regulation can bring about needed protections. A comparative summary of the revised WPS regulations is provided in this paper with a specific focus on compliance by agricultural producers. Survey data from 508 of the more than 1,500 licensed pesticide applicators who are involved in Utah agricultural crop production are summarized and presented. This paper assesses the problematic components of compliance with the new WPS requirements and presents training recommendations for agricultural safety and health professionals.