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New WPS Respiratory Protection Guide , September, 2017, by Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC)

Worker Protection Standards (WPS) Respiratory Protection Guide

Requirements for Employers of Pesticide Handlers

 

The Pesticide Education Research Collaborative is happy to announce a new resource, “Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Respiratory Protection Guide: Requirements for Employers of Pesticide Handlers”, a 45-page guide to help employers of pesticide handlers meet the requirements of the revised 2015 Worker Protection Standard (§170.507).

Features include:

  • Guidance on selecting respirators based on new/old label language
  • Medical evaluation options
  • Step-by-step respirator fit-testing procedures
  • Respirator cleaning/maintenance guidance
  • Frequently-asked questions such as, “Can I perform my own fit-test?” and “Are web-based medical evaluations allowed?”

PERC’s WPS Respiratory Protection Guide is available here:

You may purchase printed copies of the guide here: https://npsecstore.com/pages/perc-page. PERC is collaborating with the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC) to promote the sale of printed guides in a way that benefits university-based pesticide safety education programs around the nation.

Please note that sample record-keeping forms cannot be included because of the Paperwork Reduction Act. However, the guide includes a list of items to include in the required records for fit-testing, medical evaluations, and training for handlers who use respirators.

This guide was developed through a cooperative agreement between the EPA and the University of California Davis Extension, in cooperation with Oregon State University (cooperative agreement #X8-83616301). Many thanks to the project’s lead authors: Kathleen Kincade and Garnet Cooke of Oregon OSHA, editors Janet Fults and Kaci Buhl, subject matter experts Dean Herzfeld, Betsy Buffington, Juan Concha, Nancy Fitz, Richard Pont, and Carol Galloway, layout designers Cameron Hughes and Sean Ross, and our printing partner, Tom Smith.

Contacts:

Suzanne Forsyth, PERC Director
UC Davis Extension
530-757-8603
email: spforsyth@ucdavis.edu
Kaci Buhl, PERC Deputy Director
Oregon State University
541-737-8330
email: kaci.buhl@oregonstate.edu
Washington State University