has released guidance regarding the annual pesticide safety training requirements outlined in the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) that offers flexibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Read it here.

• Wps Sheet Fit In One Sheet
• Wps Spreadsheets

EPA's Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) aims to reduce pesticide poisonings and injuries among agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. The WPS offers occupational protections to over 2 million agricultural workers and pesticide handlers who work at over 600,000 agricultural establishments. EPA revised the WPS to decrease pesticide exposure incidents among farmworkers and their family members. Fewer incidents means a healthier workforce and fewer lost wages, medical bills and absences from work and school.

All requirements of the revised WPS are now in effect. Pesticide safety training materials with the expanded content required by the 2015 WPS must be used to train workers and handlers. EPA-approved training materials for national use are available on the Pesticide Educational Resources CollaborativeEXITwebsite.

On October 30, 2020, EPA finalized narrow updates to the Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) provisions under the Worker Protection Standard regulation. To view the final rule, please visit docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0543.

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Groups Covered by the WPS

The WPS protects two types of employees on farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses from occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides:

• Pesticide handlers — those who:
  • mix, load or apply agricultural pesticides;
  • clean or repair pesticide application equipment; or
  • assist with the application of pesticides.
• Agricultural workers — those who perform tasks related to growing and harvesting plants on farms or in greenhouses, nurseries or forests.
  • Workers include anyone employed for any type of compensation (including self-employed) doing tasks such as:
    • carrying nursery stock;
    • repotting plants;
    • watering; or
    • other tasks directly related to the production of agricultural plants on an agricultural establishment.*

*Some requirements apply to anyone doing certain tasks, such as handling pesticide application equipment or cleaning or laundering pesticide-contaminated personal protective equipment.

Complying with the WPS

This section provides an overview of who is required to comply with the WPS and a list of compliance requirements.

In general, employers are responsible for WPS compliance. These include:

• Owners/employers on agricultural establishments that grow and harvest for commercial production:
  • Fruits and vegetables on farms.
  • Timber and trees in forests and nurseries.
  • Plants in greenhouses and nurseries.
• Employers of researchers who help grow and harvest plants.
• Employers at commercial pesticide handling establishments.

Under the WPS, all employers are required to do the following:

• Do not retaliate against a worker or handler.
• Provide annual pesticide safety training.
• Provide access to specific information for workers and handlers at a central location during normal work hours, including: (agricultural employers only).
  • Pesticide applications on the establishment;
  • Safety Data Sheets for pesticides applied on the establishment; and
  • Pesticide safety information that includes emergency information.
• Provide WPS-required safety, pesticide application, and hazard information to workers and handlers or their designated representative, or to treating medical personnel, if requested. For additional details, see the Designated Representative section of this webpage or Chapter 2 of the WPS How to Comply Manual. See full requirements at 40 CFR 170.311(b).
• Provide decontamination supplies.
• Exchange information (between a commercial handler employer and an operator of an agricultural establishment).
• Provide emergency assistance by making transportation available to a medical care facility in case of a pesticide injury or poisoning and providing information about the pesticide(s) to which the person may have been exposed.

In addition to the duties listed above for all employers, employers of workers are required to do the following:

• Implement restrictions during applications by keeping workers and other people out of the treated field and application exclusion zones.
• Implement restricted-entry intervals (REIs).
• Implement protections for early entry by workers, including:
  • Providing access to labeling information;
  • Specific information on early entry tasks; and
  • Required early entry Personal Protective Equipment.
• Notify workers about applications and pesticide-treated areas and not to enter during the REI by:
  • providing oral warnings; or
  • posting warning signs.

In addition to the duties listed above for all employers, employers of pesticide handlers are required to do the following: Aurangzeb horoscope.

• Implement restrictions during applications by ensuring that pesticides applied do not contact workers or other people. Also, handlers must suspend an application if workers or other people are in the application exclusion zone.
• Monitor handlers working with toxic pesticides.
• Provide specific instructions for handlers.
• Provide access to labeling information for handlers.
• Take steps to ensure equipment safety.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
  • Provide required PPE in clean and good operating condition.
  • Ensure PPE is worn correctly.
  • Provide a clean place for storing personal clothing and removing PPE.
  • Care for, maintain and replace damaged or worn PPE.
  • Replace respirator purifying elements.
  • Dispose of contaminated PPE.
  • Provide instructions for people who clean PPE.
• Provide a medical evaluation, fit test and respirator training to handlers required to wear a respirator by the pesticide label.

Exceptions to the WPS

The following situations are exceptions from the requirements in the WPS:

• Owners and immediate family members on family-owned farms are exempt from many of the WPS requirements.
• Certified or licensed crop advisors who perform crop advisor tasks are exempt from certain WPS provisions including pesticide safety training.
• Limited and narrow circumstances: The WPS does not apply when pesticides are applied on an agricultural establishment in certain limited circumstances.

Designated Representative

The designated representative provision was added to the 2015 revision of the WPS. The following information provides additional explanation of this provision and examples to help groups covered by the WPS understand how to use of the designated representative provision correctly.

Per 40 CFR § 170.305 of the 2015 WPS regulation revision, a “designated representative” is any person(s) designated in writing by a worker or handler to exercise a right of access on his or her behalf to request and obtain a copy of the pesticide application and hazard information from a worker’s employer. The employer is required to make this information available to the employee or his/her designated representative under §170.311(b)(1) of this part.

Anyone can be a designated representative — for example, a coworker or a family member.

Examples of why a worker or handler may choose to utilize a designated representative include:

• If there is a language barrier;
• If the worker or handler has moved and cannot access the information themselves;
• If a case worker needs information for workers compensation review.

Under the regulations, a designated representative may request WPS-required pesticide application and hazard information for applications made while the worker or handler was employed on the establishment (going as far back as two years). This request, made to the worker’s employer, must be in writing.

Under the regulations, the written request must contain the following:

• The name of the worker or handler being represented;
• A description of the specific information being requested, including:
  • Dates of employment of the worker or handler,
  • The date(s) for which the records are requested,
  • Type of work conducted by the worker or handler during the period for which the records are requested, and
  • The specific application and hazard information requested;
• A written statement clearly designating the representative to obtain this information on the worker’s or handler’s behalf, with the worker’s or handler’s printed name and signature, the date of the designation, and the printed name and contact information for the designated representative; and
• Where the worker’s employer should send the information, if the information is to be sent.

As specified in 40 CFR 170.311(b)(1), designated representatives may access:

• A copy of the safety data sheet.
• The name, EPA registration number, and active ingredient(s) of the pesticide product.
• The crop or site treated and the location and description of the treated area.
• The date(s) and times the application started and ended.
• The duration of the applicable labeling-specified restricted-entry interval for that application.

Under the regulations, the employer must provide a copy or access to the requested information within 15 days of receiving the request. If the worker’s employer has previously provided the record without cost to the same worker or handler or their designated representative, a reasonable fee may be charged for duplicate records, but the fee may not include any discriminatory costs or overhead charges.

See page 7 of Chapter 2 of the How to Comply ManualExitfor additional information. Elektromagnet. See full requirements at 40 CFR 170.311(b).

All states enforce the federal WPS. Additionally, some states have implemented their own worker protection laws. Examples of designated representative requirements from states include:

• Florida Agricultural Worker Safety Act (FAWSA) includes a “designated representative” definition; summarized by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences ExtensionExit
• California Department of Pesticide Regulation 3 CCR 6761. Hazard Communication for FieldworkersExit; summarized at Right to Obtain InformationExit
• Texas Agricultural Hazard Communication Law contains a provision for a “designated representative;” summarized at Texas Worker Protection LawExit

Learn more about the designated representative provision in Chapter 2 of EPA’s How to Comply Manual -- Requirements for Agricultural Employers Of Workers or Handlers. Exit

To get more information on or ask a question about the designated representative provision, email us at OPP_designated_rep_info@epa.gov.

More Information on the Overall WPS

Per 40 CFR § 170.305 of the 2015 WPS regulation revision, a “designated representative” is any person(s) designated in writing by a worker or handler to exercise a right of access on his or her behalf to request and obtain a copy of the pesticide application and hazard information from a worker’s employer. The employer is required to make this information available to the employee or his/her designated representative under §170.311(b)(1) of this part.

• Quick Reference Guide (PDF) (2 pp, 243 K, About PDF) Exit
• Guía de referencia rápida (en español)
• Cuadro comparativo de WPS vigente y norma revisada (en español)

WPS and PQR Demystified

• Feb 1, 2018 03:15 PM

Several members of the Education Services team at AWS recently had the opportunity to attend a handful of instructor-led CWI seminars. During that time, we were able to interact with the students and get some insight into how things were going for them. Collectively, we found that most students were at least somewhat familiar with the majority of the information that was being covered during the seminar. However, there was one topic that drew a complete blank from students time and time again: Welding Procedure Specifications and Procedure Qualification Records.

Teamviewer portable old version. “What is a WPS?” “What is a PQR?” “Why are they important?” “How do I use them?”

If these questions have you shrugging your shoulders as well, don’t worry, we’re about to break these confusing acronyms down for you a bit. Building on our popular four-part Welding Symbols Demystifiedseries (Part I,Part II,Part III,Part IV), let’s tackle WPSs and PQRs.

What is a WPS?

A Welding Procedure Specification, or WPS, is a document that serves as a guide for the effective creation of a weld that meets all applicable code requirements and production standards. Think of a WPS as a recipe for welders. In the same way that a recipe for a cake details what ingredients and quantities you’ll need, a WPS contains details that are necessary to create the desired weld. This includes information such as base metal grade, filler metal classification, amperage range, shielding gas composition, and pre-heat and interpass temperatures. The idea is that if a group of welders adhere to all the details on a WPS, they should each be able to produce welds with reasonably similar mechanical properties.

What is a PQR?

To answer this question, we need to take a step back. You see, before a WPS can be drafted, a preliminary set of procedures and materials must be established. This initial procedure is used to create a series of welds which are then mechanically tested to ensure they meet all applicable requirements. The procedures for creating and testing the sample welds, as well as the final results, are documented on a Procedure Qualification Record, or PQR. If the test results are acceptable, the PQR is approved and can then serve as the foundation on which one or more WPSs are drafted. In short, a PQR serves as evidence that a given WPS can, in fact, be used to produce an acceptable weld.

What's the Importance of a WPS and PQR?

Wps Sheet Fit In One Sheet

For starters, WPSs and PQRs are the blueprints for creating welds in a repeatable, efficient, and safe manner. If you need more proof that WPSs and PQRs are a big deal, look no further than theBody of Knowledgefor the CWI exam. This document offers an approximate breakdown of the topics that are covered in each part of the test. Part B focuses on the practical application of inspection, and is widely referred to as the hands-on portion of the exam. You’ll notice that atleast28% of the Part B questions relate to Procedure and Welder Qualifications. In order to answer these questions, you’ll need to know how to read WPSs and PQRs, extract pertinent information from them, and make assessments based off that information. I can tell you that the CWI seminar instructors do a fine job covering WPSs and PQRs from firsthand experience. However, if the first time you lay eyes on a WPS is during the CWI seminar, or worse yet, the CWI exam itself, you’re really digging yourself into a hole.

Wps Spreadsheets

Pro tip: If this is ringing especially true for you, feel free to check out the sample WPSs and PQRs in theAWS Book of Specifications.They can be found in the annexes toward the tail end of the document.

How Do I Use a WPS and PQR?

That’s a great question. It’s also one that warrants considerably more time and detail than I can provide in this venue. As I mentioned earlier, WPSs and PQRs are covered rather extensively during the live CWI seminars. However, if you’re looking to get a leg up, then you may want to consider AWS Learning’s “WPS/PQR: Explained” interactive online course. This course was created in response to continued feedback from students and educators, and covers the ins and outs of welding procedure specifications and procedure qualification records. This includes everything from what their purpose is, how they are drafted, what kinds of information they contain, and how to make use of that information.

The course also covers the procedure qualification process, including detailed information on material properties as well as common nondestructive and destructive tests. The instruction throughout this course is presented in a series of short modules, allowing you to internalize information bit by bit, instead of all at once. Each module builds on concepts introduced in the previous one, and includes quizzes and interactive practice questions to help you really get a grasp of the material.

So, Now What?

It’s important to keep in mind that we’re just scratching the surface here. WPSs and PQRs are an important part of a CWI’s knowledge base, but they’re far from the only thing. With that in mind, if you’re ready to take the next step and learn more about WPSs and PQRs, be sure to check out the“WPS/PQR: Explained”page at AWS Learning. While you’re there, you may want to check out some of our other educational offerings as well. Whether you’re looking to learn about a new topic, or brush up on one you’re already familiar with, AWSL’s suite of online courses is a great place to start.

As always, if you have any questions, or if you have a suggestion for a topic you’d like us to discuss in an upcoming blog, give us a call or drop us a line in the comments section below!