Emergency Assistance

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

First, employers are obligated to promptly make emergency transportation available to take a worker from the agricultural establishment or a labor camp located on the establishment to an emergency medical facility that is able to provide treatment. Employers can fulfill this obligation by taking the employee to the facility, calling an emergency vehicle, or making sure that the employee has a ride to the facility from someone else.

In addition, upon request, employers are required to promptly provide any of the following information that they can obtain to the worker or to the medical personnel who are 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 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 Worker Safety visit our Pesticide Worker Safety Online Training web page.