Pesticide Worker Protection Standard

The Environmental Protection Agency has recently revised the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) relating to the Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ). The AEZ is designed to protect workers and others that may be within proximity of a pesticide application taking place on a farm growing agricultural commodities. The revised regulation will go into effect on December 29, 2020.

The Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC) has recently made available a WPS Designated Representative Card (PDF). This card is designed to help facilitate the transfer of information pertaining to the application of pesticides that has been requested by workers or pesticide handlers that work on farms that grow agricultural commodities.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has a Farm Worker Complaint Form (PDF), which can be used when an employee of a farm growing agricultural commodities is looking to make a complaint about possible WPS violations on a farm located in New York State.

DEC has a Worker Protection Standard compliance checklist (PDF), which is designed to help farm owners and managers to be in compliance with the WPS. It is not designed to be all encompassing, but should be helpful in assisting farmers to be compliant with the regulation.

For more information about the DEC Pesticide Program, contact the Pesticide Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Section at 518-402-8727 or PesticideCompliance@dec.ny.gov.