The final version of the EPA's proposed changes to Agricultural Worker Protection Standards was published in the Federal Register on March 19, giving stakeholders until June 17 to comment on the proposal. The final version, which is nearly identical to the proposed version NAAA reported on in February, can be found under the proposals docket here. 

 

The changes proposed in EPA’s revision would, among other points:

• Require 25- to 100-foot no-entry buffer areas around pesticide-treated fields.
  
• Require pesticide handlers and early-entry workers to be 16 years old, with an exemption for farm owners’ immediate families.
• Require adoption of OSHA standard respirators along with record keeping to document compliance.
• Increase worker training regarding the safe usage of pesticides, including how to prevent and effectively treat pesticide exposure.
• Increase training and signage to inform farm workers about the protections they are afforded under the law.
• Require employers to maintain pesticide application-specific information, labeling and safety data and make that information available to workers, handlers or their authorized representatives.

EPA says the changes would cost industry between $67 million and $87 million to implement and maintain.

 

NAAA is currently reviewing the rule and will supply detailed information to assist members in the preparation of comments. NAAA will be commenting on the rule as well.

 

A one-page summary can be found here, along with a comparison with existing standards here.