| Vol. 2000, Issue 1 | January 2000 |
Results of 1999 WPS Compliance Inspection | |
|---|---|
|
As mentioned by University of Illinois Extension in several newsletters, radio spots, and other forms of media this past spring, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) inspected a number of Illinois greenhouses, nurseries, and farms during the 1999 growing season specifically to assess compliance with the Worker Protection Standards (WPS). IDOA’s report is broken down into the major inspection areas shown below. The most common violation (18% of the sites in violation) was attributed to poor information exchange between producers and commercial handlers. The remaining areas of violation (range of 4 to 13% of the sites in violation) are summarized below. 1. Information at a central location. Employees were not always informed about scheduled pesticide applications; the location and description of the areas to be treated; information about the pesticide to be applied; restricted-entry interval; and details about who they should contact in case of an emergency. Covered in EPA’s “The Worker Protection Standard—How to Comply,” pages 23 to 24. 2. Pesticide safety training. Not all workers and handlers were trained according to the WPS. In a few cases, the training material or content was also inadequate. Covered in EPA’s “The Worker Protection Standard—How to Comply,” pages 25 to 27. 3. Decontamination sites. The quantity, quality, or accessibility of water for emergency eyeflushing was not always acceptable. In addition, handlers did not always have a clean change of clothes available to them. Covered in EPA’s “The Worker Protection Standard—How to Comply,” pages 29 to 31. 4. Employer information exchange. Commercial pesticide applicators did not always provide the producer with the information needed to comply with part one (above). Conversely, commercial WPS handlers were frequently not informed about pesticide applications that had already been made and about restrictions on entering those sites. Covered in EPA’s “The Worker Protection Standard—How to Comply,” pages 33 to 34. 5. Emergency assistance. No violations reported. 6. Notice about applications. Some posting signs were of the wrong size or design. Covered in EPA’s “The Worker Protection Standard—How to Comply,” pages 41 to 44. 7. Restrictions during/after applications. No violations reported. 8. Early entry work situations. No violations reported. 9. Personal protection equipment for early entry workers. No violations reported. 10. Handler restrictions and monitoring. No violations reported. 11. Specific instructions for WPS handlers. Again, commercial WPS handlers were frequently not informed about pesticide applications that had already been made and restrictions on entering those sites. 12. Equipment safety. No violations reported. 13. Personal protection equipment for handlers. In a few cases, personal protection equipment was not always in clean, operating condition; and gas cartridges (for respirators) were not replaced frequently enough. Covered in EPA’s “The Worker Protection Standard—How to Comply,” pages 79 to 81. Overall, the rate of compliance was quite good. However, as pointed out above, several areas still need work. To prepare for future WPS inspections, please consult the EPA’s “The Worker Protection Standard—How to Comply” manual (revised July, 1993). Note that Appendix B includes a variety of useful compliance checklists, forms, and fact sheets. For a free copy of this manual, call Tom Walker with the Illinois Department of Agriculture at (217)785-2427. In addition, your local U of I Extension office can provide you with several helpful WPS resources, such as the “WPS Resource Guide,” and “The WPS in IL” (http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/~pse/resources/resources.html). (Bruce Paulsrud) | |
| Author: | Bruce Paulsrud |
For any questions about the Illinois Pesticide Review
send e-mail to: Bruce Paulsrud