EPA launches online ‘dashboard’ on ag worker pesticide exposure
Photo: Environmental Protection Agency
Washington – A new resource from the Environmental Protection Agency aims to help regulators and the public learn more about pesticide exposure incidents among agricultural workers.
Released Dec. 18, the Pesticide Worker Protection Dashboard includes charts and graphs with enforcement and compliance information related to the Worker Protection Standard program. The standard, which was updated in September, is part of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
The dashboard provides answers to several questions, including:
- How many facilities in the United States have workers covered by the WPS program?
- How many inspections are reported?
- How many violations have been uncovered?
- What enforcement actions have resulted from violations?
EPA said the information will allow regulators to refocus education efforts or target the next wave of inspections.
“Greater compliance means better protection for agricultural workers and fewer pesticide exposure incidents among farmworkers and their family members,” EPA officials said in a press release. “That means a healthier workforce, reductions in lost wages and medical bills, and fewer absences from work and school.”