WORKER PROTECTION STANDARD GOING INTO EFFECT

As many of you in the agricultural industry may know, a new federal regulation will become effective on April 15th, 1994. This new law is known as the EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS). WPS will affect employers in all of the following areas: nurseries, greenhouses, forestry, and all areas of agriculture. The regulation applies whether you employ full-time, migrant and/or part-time employees.

WPS, as it is written in the law books, is very lengthy and complicated, so here it is in a nutshell:

1)Employers must post signs warning employees to stay at least one- fourth of a mile away from areas where pesticides are being applied. In addition to the warning sign, the employer shall make information about the product being applied easily accessible to all employees and shall include the following:

a)EPA registration number

b)Active ingredient

c)Time and date of application

d)Restricted entry interval

e)Emergency information

f)Pesticide safety poster produced by EPA

2)Employers must provide the proper personal protective equipment to all handlers of pesticides or personnel who enter restricted areas before the end of the restricted entry interval.

3)There must be personal cleanup areas provided within a quarter mile of pesticide application/handling sites. These areas should include soap, disposable towels, and enough water for washing and eye flushing. In addition to these items, a clean change of clothes and enough water for a complete body wash should be provided for pesticide handlers and applicators.

4)Transportation must be made readily available to take anyone who might be harmed by pesticides to the hospital. Copies of pesticide product information must be kept in this vehicle at all times.

5)All applicators, handlers, and workers that may come in contact with anything treated with pesticides must be trained on pesticide safety. All currently certified applicators of restricted use pesticides automatically comply with the training requirement. Workers that will be handling pesticides must be trained by a certified applicator or other approved state, federal, or local agency. Worker training can be performed by a trained handler or other approved trainer.

This description of the law is by no means complete. I suggest that you read the regulations for yourself. For more information, consider the following learning opportunities:

1)Gempler's, a direct agricultural supply dealer, is offering a free copy of the official EPA "How to Comply Manual." Their toll free number is 1-800-382-8473.

2)On February 7, 1994, 3-5:00 p.m., we are offering a WPS training workshop in the Extension Service auditorium, Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center, 121 East Mountain Drive, Fayetteville, NC. During this workshop, we will talk about the WPS requirement, teach employers how to comply and how to train their employees. In addition to the training, participants will receive a copy of the "How to Comply Manual." We will also cover the new law governing recordkeeping on restricted use pesticide applications. Two experts will be on hand to answer questions - John Wilson, Extension Pesticide Education Specialist at NCSU; a worker protection specialist from the NCDA Pesticide Division.

Remember...April 15th will be here before you know it. Please take advantage of these learning opportunities and know how to comply.

ROADSIDE/PICK-YOUR-OWN MARKET DIRECTORY

In the Decedmber '93 issue of this newsletter, I talked about a directory of roadside/pick-your-own operations in North Carolina that NCDA is putting together. We now have the questionnaire forms that must be completed if you desire to be included in the directory. If interested, contact me at (910) 484-7156 for the form.

NEW MARKETING PROJECT TO HELP NC GROWERS

In addition to the roadside/pick-your-own operation directory, NCDA is experimenting with a computerized market match system to connect buyers with producers. This system is called "Smart Buy." NCDA is compiling a list of NC producers of selected agricultural products, as well as potential buyers of these products. Information about the growers' products and production capabilities is stored in the computer, as well as information about the products, qualities, and quantities that the buyers are seeking.

Here is an example of how it works. Let's say that you are a produce farmer and you were listed on this computer database. The NCDA would have gathered information from you concerning your location, farm size, products that you grow, the expected dates of availabillity of these products, and the amount of each product that you are capable of producing. suppose you had a broccoli harvest coming up and you needed a buyer. You would call the NCDA and name your product. They would pull up your file and then pull up a file of broccoli buyers that match your production capability. You would then be given the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of these buyers so that you could contact them and negotiate your sales. NCDA is not responsible for negotiating the deal. That task is up to you and the buyer.

A buyer looking for a product would go through the same procedure as the grower. The buyer will state the product desired, his/her file will be pulled up, and the file will be matched with the files of potential sellers.

The system is limited to North Carolina growers, but the buyer list is unlimited. The NCDA has only produce farmers and buyers on its database, but hopes to eventually expand to producers of ornamental plants, seafood, and Christmas trees. I want to stress that this project is in the experimental stage and my information about it is limited. I will keep you updated on its progress as new information is made available to me.

"Extension Spotlight"

"Extension Spotlight" is a program produced by our Extension staff and shown on Channel 3 of Cablevision of Fayetteville. It airs on Monday nights from 8:30 - 9:00 p.m. One program is produced per month and is shown each Monday night of the month so viewers will have several opportunities to see it.

I will be conducting the program for the month of February. My topic will be "The Use of Drip Irrigation and Black Plastic Mulch in Vegetable Production." I realize that there are many of you who live in areas where cablevision is unavailable, so I plan to have a tape of this program made to include in our video library so that it may be borrowed and viewed at your leisure. I hope that each of you will get to see the program and benefit from it.

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Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

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