§ 170.130 - Pesticide safety training for workers.

§ 170.130 Pesticide safety training for workers.

(a) General requirement -

(1) Agricultural employer assurance. The agricultural employer shall assure that each worker, required by this section to be trained, has been trained according to this section during the last 5 years, counting from the end of the month in which the training was completed.

(2) Requirement for workers performing early-entry activities. Before a worker enters a treated area on the agricultural establishment during a restricted-entry interval to perform early-entry activities permitted by § 170.112 and contacts anything that has been treated with the pesticide to which the restricted-entry interval applies, including but not limited to, soil, water, or surfaces of plants, the agricultural employer shall assure that the worker has been trained.

(3) Requirements for other agricultural workers -

(i) Information before entry. Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, before a worker enters any areas on the agricultural establishment where, within the last 30 days a pesticide to which this subpart applies has been applied or the restricted-entry interval for such pesticide has been in effect, the agricultural employer shall assure that the worker has been provided the pesticide safety information specified in paragraph (c) of this section, in a manner that agricultural workers can understand, such as by providing written materials or oral communication or by other means. The agricultural employer must be able to verify compliance with this requirement.

(ii) Training before the 6th day of entry. Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, before the 6th day that a worker enters any areas on the agricultural establishment where, within the last 30 days a pesticide to which this subpart applies has been applied or a restricted-entry interval for such pesticide has been in effect, the agricultural employer shall assure that the worker has been trained.

(b) Exceptions. The following persons need not be trained under this section:

(1) A worker who is currently certified as an applicator of restricted-use pesticides under part 171 of this chapter.

(2) A worker who satisfies the training requirements of part 171 of this chapter.

(3) A worker who satisfies the handler training requirements of § 170.230(c).

(4) A worker who is certified or licensed as a crop advisor by a program acknowledged as appropriate in writing by EPA or a State or Tribal lead agency for pesticide enforcement, provided that a requirement for such certification or licensing is pesticide safety training that includes all the information set out in § 170.230(c)(4).

(c) Pesticide safety information. The pesticide safety information required by paragraph (a)(3)(i) shall be presented to workers in a manner that the workers can understand. At a minimum, the following information shall be provided:

(1) Pesticides may be on or in plants, soil, irrigation water, or drifting from nearby applications.

(2) Prevent pesticides from entering your body by:

(i) Following directions and/or signs about keeping out of treated or restricted areas.

(ii) Washing before eating, drinking, using chewing gum or tobacco, or using the toilet.

(iii) Wearing work clothing that protects the body from pesticide residues.

(iv) Washing/showering with soap and water, shampoo hair, and put on clean clothes after work.

(v) Washing work clothes separately from other clothes before wearing them again.

(vi) Washing immediately in the nearest clean water if pesticides are spilled or sprayed on the body. As soon as possible, shower, shampoo, and change into clean clothes.

(3) Further training will be provided within 5 days.

(d) Training programs.

(1) General pesticide safety information shall be presented to workers either orally from written materials or audiovisually. The information must be presented in a manner that the workers can understand (such as through a translator) using nontechnical terms. The presenter also shall respond to workers' questions.

(2) The person who conducts the training shall meet at least one of the following criteria:

(i) Be currently certified as an applicator of restricted-use pesticides under part 171 of this chapter; or

(ii) Be currently designated as a trainer of certified applicators or pesticide handlers by a State, Federal, or Tribal agency having jurisdiction; or

(iii) Have completed a pesticide safety train-the-trainer program approved by a State, Federal, or Tribal agency having jurisdiction; or

(iv) Satisfy the training requirements in part 171 of this chapter or in § 170.230(c).

(3) Any person who issues an EPA-approved Worker Protection Standard worker training certificate must assure that the worker who receives the training certificate has been trained in accordance with paragraph (d)(4) of this section.

(4) The training materials shall convey, at a minimum, the following information:

(i) Where and in what form pesticides may be encountered during work activities.

(ii) Hazards of pesticides resulting from toxicity and exposure, including acute and chronic effects, delayed effects, and sensitization.

(iii) Routes through which pesticides can enter the body.

(iv) Signs and symptoms of common types of pesticide poisoning.

(v) Emergency first aid for pesticide injuries or poisonings.

(vi) How to obtain emergency medical care.

(vii) Routine and emergency decontamination procedures, including emergency eyeflushing techniques.

(viii) Hazards from chemigation and drift.

(ix) Hazards from pesticide residues on clothing.

(x) Warnings about taking pesticides or pesticide containers home.

(xi) Requirements of this subpart designed to reduce the risks of illness or injury resulting from workers' occupational exposure to pesticides, including application and entry restrictions, the design of the warning sign, posting of warning signs, oral warnings, the availability of specific information about applications, and the protection against retaliatory acts.

(e) Verification of training.

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, if the agricultural employer assures that a worker possesses an EPA-approved Worker Protection Standard worker training certificate, then the requirements of paragraph (a) and (c) of this section will have been met.

(2) If the agricultural employer is aware or has reason to know that an EPA-approved Worker Protection Standard worker training certificate has not been issued in accordance with this section, or has not been issued to the worker bearing the certificate, or the training was completed more than 5 years before the beginning of the current month, a worker's possession of that certificate does not meet the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section.

[57 FR 38151, Aug. 21, 1992, as amended at 60 FR 21947, 21952, May 3, 1995; 73 FR 75598, Dec. 12, 2008]