Penn State Worker Protection Standard Program

Description

With Pennsylvania agricultural producers and farmworker population needing guidance on the Environmental Protection Agency's agricultural pesticide safety compliance, in 2006 the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health launched a comprehensive education and technical assistance outreach program, through funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and in collaboration with agricultural safety, health, and pesticide experts.

Today, the Office of Rural Health's Penn State Worker Protection Standard Program continues to meet the needs for education and technical assistance to meet compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Agricultural Pesticides regulations.

Key to the program is the WPS Specialist who provides on-site education using training materials developed with special attention to the distinctive needs of the state's agricultural owners, operators, and workforce. These materials are EPA-approved and include basic safety requirements to ensure compliance with federal regulations. Other distinguishing elements linked to the training materials are not only their availability in English and Spanish, but their modifications tied to the language, traditions, and customs of Pennsylvania's unique agricultural communities, including the Amish and Mennonite.

Materials are developed with specific attention to the unique needs of six agricultural specialties: mushrooms, orchards, vegetables, grapes, greenhouses, and commercial nurseries. Program information is available on the program's website and for digital download or hardcopy.

Linked to its pesticide-specific education focus, also inherent to the program is general agricultural safety education, with attention to lesser-known regulations and reminders for mitigating the profession's dangers. Because safety education often includes the need to access healthcare, the program also provides insurance resources available through the state's Health Insurance Marketplace.

Funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's (PDA) Bureau of Plant Industry, the program is coordinated by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health – a unique funding opportunity for a state office of rural health. Close collaboration occurs with PDA and Pennsylvania State University pesticide and safety experts.

Services offered

In addition to WPS technical and compliance assistance provided to agricultural producers, the program provides:

• Pre-and post-state inspection site visits for WPS onsite compliance assessments
• Individual and group WPS education and compliance presentations at agricultural commodity meetings, statewide conferences, county agricultural safety days and fairs
• Comprehensive training manuals and reference materials published in English and Spanish, with modifications as appropriate for Pennsylvania's agricultural sectors, including the Amish and Mennonite communities
• Videos demonstrating WPS concepts for indoor and outdoor agricultural production
• State insurance marketplace resources

Results

The WPS Specialist travels on an annual basis throughout the state to provide WPS technical and compliance assistance to nearly 2,000 farms, greenhouses, nurseries, orchards, and other agricultural production sites. For those growers who have had a state regulatory visit, the Specialist usually provides two follow up, drop-by visits to answer questions and provide any needed additional assistance. In recent years, conference presentations and exhibit opportunities at around 40 conferences and agricultural-related events have reached thousands of attendees.

Challenges

It is essential that the program staff earn the trust of agricultural growers, the state regulatory agency that enforces the WPS, and the regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Replication

Recognizing prior to any replication effort that this unique program's funding is a state-supported program administered by a State Office of Rural Health and approved by a state's regulatory agency, anyone interested in replicating the Worker Protection Standard Program can contact the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

Contact Information