- Languages: English, Spanish (license provides access to the training title in both languages – except one use only)
- Education requirements: 0 years (spoken text option on all screens) using 9BUTTON (see evidence of education requirements in publications or cTRAIN description)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires all farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses to meet the requirements of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS). Compliance with these requirements were updated in 2005 by EPA and the NwETA training meets those updated requirements. The training acknowledges the fact that employers must meet requirements and employees must be trained by having two training modules, one for employers and one for employees. Both modules are part of the same training package.
The basic WPS requirements are:
- pesticide safety training
- notification of pesticide applications
- use of personal protective equipment
- restricted entry intervals following pesticide application
- decontamination supplies
- emergency medical assistance
The 2005 changes in the requirements included in the training, as described on the EPA website, include:
- Untrained workers must be provided basic pesticide information before entering pesticide-treated areas
- Reduction in the number of days decontamination supplies must be available to workers after application of low-risk pesticides, and the requirement that supplies are to be located together
- Modification in the language requirements for treated-area warning signs
- Modification in the size requirements for treated-area warning signs
- Early-entry exception for irrigation tasks and for limited contact tasks
- Optional use of separable glove liners beneath chemical-resistant gloves
- Optional wearing of gloves by agricultural pilots when entering or leaving aircraft
- Exemption for certified or licensed crop advisors and persons under their direct supervision
- additional resources to assist agricultural employers to comply, such as new checklists and charts
- Warning Sign Size Specifications for Greenhouses and Nurseries
- Early-Entry Exceptions Chart
- Crop Advisors Chart – includes the summary of WPS requirements for the employers of crop advisors
- WPS Requirement to Provide Basic Pesticide Safety Information to untrained workers
- EPA Chemical Resistance Category Chart – used when personal protective equipment (PPE) section on a pesticide label lists a chemical resistance category
The EPA estimates that these requirements affect 2.5 million agricultural workers.
