A05028 Summary:

BILL NOA05028
 
SAME ASSAME AS S05031
 
SPONSOREnglebright (MS)
 
COSPNSROrtiz, Gottfried, Schimel
 
MLTSPNSRColton, Cook, Perry
 
Add S1331, Pub Health L
 
Establishes standards for farm worker protection at any agricultural site where pesticides have been or will be applied; requires mandatory testing for pesticides; requires personal protective equipment to be provided to workers; provides education to workers and their families about the hazards of pesticides; requires additional on-site protective measures; requires the department of health to issue an annual report of all farm inspections on or before March first to the governor and legislature.
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A05028 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A5028
 
SPONSOR: Englebright (MS)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public health law, in relation to farm worker protection   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF THE BILL: The bill incorporates the feder- al Worker Protection Standard and adds additional requirements for protection of farmworkers from pesticide exposures. The federal Worker Protection Standard requires the following: * Applicators are prohibited from applying pesticides in a way that will expose workers or other persons. Workers are excluded from areas while pesticides are being applied. * Restricted-entry intervals must be specified on all agricultural pesticide product labels. Workers are excluded from entering a pesticide treated area during the restricted entry interval, with only narrow exception. * Personal protective equipment must be provided and maintained for handlers and early-entry workers. * Workers must be notified about treated areas so they may avoid inad- vertent exposures. * Handlers and workers must have an ample supply of water, soap and towels for routine washing and emergency decontamination. * Transportation must be made available to a medical care facility if a worker or handler may have been poisoned or injured. Information must be provided about the pesticide to which the person may have been exposed. * Pesticide safety training is required for all workers and handlers, and a pesticide safety poster must be displayed. * Handlers and workers must be informed of pesticide label requirements. Central posting of recent pesticide applications is required. In addition, farm owners or operators must: * conduct mandatory testing for presence of organophosphate pesticides for all handlers of pesticides, including applicators and mixers of pesticides, within one week of the workers' arrival of these workers at the agricultural site and within one week of their departure from the site; * provide personal protection equipment which has been fit-tested to all individuals who are or may be required to wear such equipment in the course of their work, which must be readily available to these workers; * provide education and information to farm workers and their families about the hazards of exposure to pesticide, how to avoid such exposures to children, personal clothing and possessions, and what to do if pesti- cide exposure or contamination occurs. * report every incidence of pesticide exposure to farmworkers and their families to the State Department of Health, whether by direct exposure to pesticide applications or from drift of pesticides from the applica- tion site. This reporting must occur within 24 hours of such pesticide exposure and must include the day and time of day the exposure occurred and the pesticides to which the individuals were exposed; * provide on-site washing machines for workers to clean pesticide-conta- minated clothing, which are separate from clothes washing facilities used by families, and provide instruction in the proper care of clothing contaminated with or exposed to pesticides; * provide shower facilities for every five workers, with separate facil- ities for males and females, for the removal of pesticides residues and other contaminants; * provide one or more public telephones for workers to report medical emergencies, including pesticide exposures or contamination; and * ensure that all new housing for farm workers is located at least fifty feet from any field or site, except for enclosed facilities such as greenhouses, which may be treated with pesticides. Existing housing which does not comply with this paragraph must be replaced within five years or cease to be used after that time. The department must issue an annual report of all farm inspections by March first to the governor and the legislature for the previous calen- dar year, including compliance with the requirements contained herein; enforcement actions, fines and penalties for non-compliance resulting from such inspections; pesticide exposure or contamination reports to the department of health.   JUSTIFICATION: The original Worker Protection Standard (WPS) was issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992 to attempt to overcome the inadequacy of previous regulations protecting agricul- tural workers from pesticide exposure. NYS receives a modest grant from EPA for enforcement of the WPS, hence there is little or no enforcement of this important program. There are no State laws to protect farmwork- ers and their families from the impact of agricultural pesticides. Farmworkers are by far the most seriously individuals impacted by agri- cultural pesticides. Not only do they work in direct proximity to fields and buildings treated regularly with pesticides, they often live imme- diately adjacent to these sites. Farmworkers and their families may be directly or indirectly exposed (through pesticide drift) to agriculture pesticides by virtue of where they live and work. Of the 25 most heavily used agricultural pesticides, 11 have been classified by EPA as known or probably human carcinogens, 17 cause genetic damage, 10 cause reproduc- tive damage, 5 are toxic to the nervous system, and 18 are skin, eye or lung irritants. More than 300,000 farm workers yearly suffer pesticide related illnesses and exposed workers have higher incidence of leukemia, prostate, stomach, skin, lip, pancreatic, kidney, lymphatic and blood system cancers than other workers. This bill incorporates not only the federal WPS, but requires other actions by farm owners or operators to protect farmworkers and their families. It is imperative to enact protections to these individuals, who are essential to the production of agricultural commodities in this State and yet suffer most significantly from their work.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: A6106, 1999-2000. A5190, 2001-02. 02/10/03 referred to health (A.3639) 01/07/04 referred to health 05/19/04 reported referred to codes 05/20/04 amend and recommit to codes 05/20/04 print number 3639a 05/25/04 reported referred to rules 06/07/04 rules report ca1.820 06/07/04 ordered to third reading rules cal. 820 (A3639) 2005-06 A.2268 third reading 2007-08 A851 referred to ways and means 2009-10 A1586 referred to ways and means 2011-12 A4050 health   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: There will be costs associated with the review of regulations, standards and guidance to take into account the policies and requirements of this bill.   EFFECTIVE DATE: The law takes effect November 1 next succeeding the date it becomes a law.
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A05028 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          5028
 
                               2013-2014 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    February 14, 2013
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, ORTIZ, GOTTFRIED, SCHIMEL -- Multi-
          Sponsored by -- M. of A. COLTON, COOK, PERRY -- read once and referred
          to the Committee on Health
 
        AN ACT to amend the public  health  law,  in  relation  to  farm  worker
          protection
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-

        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding  a  new  section
     2  1331 to read as follows:
     3    § 1331. Farm worker protection. 1. The following requirements shall be
     4  met  at  any  agricultural  site  to  which  pesticides  have or will be
     5  applied. Farm owners or operators shall:
     6    a. Conduct or cause to have conducted mandatory testing for the  pres-
     7  ence  of  organophosphate  pesticides  for  all  handlers of pesticides,
     8  including applicators and mixers of pesticides. This  testing  shall  be
     9  conducted within one week of the arrival of such workers at the agricul-
    10  tural site and within one week of the departure of such workers from the
    11  site;

    12    b.  Provide personal protection equipment which has been fit-tested to
    13  all individuals who are required or may be required to wear such  equip-
    14  ment  in the course of their work, and which is readily available to any
    15  worker needing to wear or use such equipment;
    16    c. Provide education and information to farm workers and  their  fami-
    17  lies  about  the  hazards  of  exposure to pesticides, how to avoid such
    18  exposures to children, personal clothing and possessions, and what to do
    19  if pesticide exposure or contamination occurs;
    20    d. Report to the department every incident of  pesticide  exposure  to
    21  farmworkers  or  their families, whether by direct exposure to pesticide
    22  applications or from drift of pesticides from the application site. Such

    23  reporting shall occur within twenty-four hours of such  pesticide  expo-
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08836-01-3

        A. 5028                             2
 
     1  sure and shall include the day and time of day the exposure occurred and
     2  the pesticides to which the individuals were exposed;
     3    e.  Provide  on-site  washing machines for workers to clean pesticide-
     4  contaminated clothing, which are separate from clothes  washing  facili-
     5  ties  used  by families. The farm owner or operator shall be responsible
     6  to provide instruction in the proper care of clothing contaminated  with

     7  or exposed to pesticides;
     8    f.  Provide  one shower facility for every five workers, with separate
     9  facilities for males and females, for the removal of pesticides residues
    10  and other contaminants;
    11    g. Provide one or more public telephones for workers to report medical
    12  emergencies, including pesticide exposures or contamination; and
    13    h. Ensure that all new housing for farm workers is  located  at  least
    14  fifty  feet  from any field or site, except for enclosed facilities such
    15  as greenhouses, which may be treated with pesticides.  Existing  housing
    16  which  does not comply with this paragraph shall be replaced within five
    17  years or cease to be used after that time.

    18    2. The department shall issue an annual report of all farm inspections
    19  on or before March first to the governor and  the  legislature  for  the
    20  previous  calendar  year,  including  compliance  with  the requirements
    21  contained in this section; enforcement actions, fines and penalties  for
    22  non-compliance  resulting  from such inspections; and pesticide exposure
    23  or contamination reports submitted to the department.
    24    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
    25  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
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