Key Terms

Agricultural plants are grown or maintained for commercial or research purposes. Examples include food, feed, and fiber plants; trees; turf grass; flowers; shrubs; ornamentals; and seedlings.

Agricultural workers are employees involved in the production of agricultural plants on a farm, forest, nursery, or greenhouse. These workers include those who perform hand-labor tasks, such as planting, weeding, watering, cultivating, and harvesting; or other related tasks, such as moving or operating irrigation equipment.

A coverall is a loose-fitting one- or two-piece garment that covers, at a minimum, the entire body except the head, hands, and feet.

Farms include operations, other than nurseries and forests, that produce agricultural plants outdoors.

Forests are operations that produce agricultural plants outdoors for wood fiber or timber products.

A fumigant is any pesticide product that is a vapor or gas, or forms a vapor or gas on application.

Greenhouses are operations that produce agricultural plants indoors in an area that is enclosed with a nonporous covering, and that is large enough to allow a person to enter. Examples include polyhouses, mushroom houses and caves, rhubarb houses, and traditional greenhouses. The WPS definition of greenhouses excludes malls, atriums, conservatories, arboretums, and office buildings that grow or maintain plants primarily for decorative or environmental benefits.

Hand labor refers to any agricultural activity performed by hand or with hand tools that might cause a worker to have substantial contact with surfaces that may contain pesticide residues. Examples of hand labor tasks include harvesting, thinning, weeding, topping, planting, caning, and pruning and packing produce into containers in the field.

Handler employers are individuals who employ pesticide handlers, including members of their family, for any type of compensation or who are themselves self-employed as pesticide handlers. Handler employers are responsible for providing the handlers they employ with the protections that the WPS requires for handlers.

Limited-contact tasks include tasks where the early-entry workers' only contact with treated surfaces, including soil, surfaces of plants, crops, and irrigation equipment, is minimal and limited to the workers' feet, lower legs, hands, and forearms. Examples of limited-contact tasks include operating, moving, or repairing irrigation equipment; operating or repairing weather monitoring equipment; and maintaining and moving beehives.

Nurseries include operations that produce agricultural plants outdoors for flower or fern cuttings, or for transplants to another location. Examples of nursery products include flowering and foliage plants or trees; tree seedlings; live Christmas trees; turf grass produced for sod; and vegetable, fruit, and ornamental transplants.

An owner is any person who has a present possessory interest (including a fee, leasehold, rental, or other interest) in an agricultural establishment covered by the WPS.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to apparel and devices worn to protect the body from contact with pesticides or pesticide residues. Examples of PPE include coveralls, respirators, protective eyewear, and chemical-resistant suits, gloves, footwear, aprons, and headgear.

Pesticide drift refers to the physical movement of pesticide droplets or particles through the air, either at the time of pesticide application or shortly thereafter, from the target site to an off-target site.

Pesticide handlers are employees of agricultural establishments or commercial pesticide handling establishments who mix, load, and apply pesticides or perform other tasks that bring them in direct contact with pesticides.

Protective eyewear refers to goggles; a face shield; or safety glasses with front, brow, and temple protection.

Restricted-entry interval is the time immediately after a pesticide application, when entry into the treated area is limited. The restricted-entry interval is listed on the pesticide labeling, with some pesticides having one restricted-entry interval for all crops and uses and others having different restricted-entry intervals, depending on the crop or method of application.

Worker employers, also referred to as agricultural employers, are individuals who employ or contract for the services of workers, including themselves and members of their family, for any type of compensation to perform tasks related to the production of agricultural plants, or who own or operate an agricultural establishment that uses such workers. Worker employers are responsible for providing their agricultural worker employees with the protections that the WPS requires for workers.

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