The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is an EPA law designed to protect workers from pesticide poisoning and injury. It aims to reduce pesticide exposures for workers and their families. It applies to farmworkers, and those that work in a forest, nursery, or greenhouse that produces agricultural plants.

It began in 1995 and was expanded in 2015. Farm owners and their immediate families may be exempt from some requirements. Learn more about who is covered by the WPS.

The WPS protects workers by requiring:

• people stay out of treated areas during and after an application;
• proper protective gear for applicators;
• access to supplies for routine and emergency washing;
• annual safety training to reduce take-home residues;
• access to information about pesticides used onsite;
• age limits for applicators;
• employers to keep records of all pesticide applications; and
• protections from retaliation and discrimination.

EPA's Revised Worker Protection Standard

Additional Resources

• Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Worker Protection Standard Compliance Assistance Library - PERC
• WPS Training Videos - PERC
• Comparison Chart: Old and New WPS – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Occupational Pesticide Safety and Health – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Current WPS Materials - Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC)
• PestiSeguro/PestiSafe Label Information (app) - University of Washington, Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center
• WPS Respirator Resources - PERC

If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 800-858-7378 (8:00am - 12:00pm PST), or email at npic@ace.orst.edu.