Emergency Assistance

Handler employers are required to provide emergency assistance, including emergency transportation and emergency information, to anyone who is or has been employed as a handler on their farm, forest, nursery, or greenhouse, or on their commercial pesticide handling establishment, if there is reason to believe that the handler has been poisoned or injured by a pesticide as a result of that employment - for instance, through application, spills, splashes, drift, handling tasks, or contact with pesticide residues.

Employers are also required to promptly make emergency transportation available to take a handler from either the agricultural establishment or another handling site to an emergency medical facility that is able to provide treatment.

Upon request, employers are required to promptly provide any of the following information that they can obtain to the worker, handler, or medical personnel who is treating a victim:

• Product name, EPA registration number, and active ingredients for any products to which the victim may have been exposed
• Antidote, first aid, statement of practical treatment, and other medical or emergency information from the product label
• Description of the way the pesticide was being used
• Circumstances of the worker's or handler's exposure to the pesticide

Many agricultural employees are deterred from seeking healthcare in cases of pesticide exposure due to lack of health insurance, unfamiliarity with workers' compensation benefits or the inability to qualify for them, fear of job loss, or concerns about immigration status. As an employer, ensure that your employees feel secure in getting medical care in cases of pesticide injury or illness, as this care can mean the difference between life and death.

To learn more about Pesticide Handler Safety visit our Pesticide Handler Safety Online Training web page.