Focal Point: Practical Application
WRAL News examines the issue of worker safety in the application of agricultural pesticides in North Carolina.
Posted — UpdatedOriginal air date: Aug. 20, 2008
The case prompted Gov. Mike Easley to appoint a task force in January 2008 to look into the issue of farm worker exposure to pesticides. The task force made recommendations to the General Assembly, some of which passed, but farm-worker advocates say the effort falls far short of what is needed to protect workers from pesticide exposure. They worry that the state agency that enforces pesticide regulations puts the interests of the agricultural industry ahead of worker safety.
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Hosted by WRAL News' Cullen Browder, Focal Point: Practical Application examines the issue of worker safety in the application of agricultural pesticides in North Carolina.
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The task force submitted its recommendations to the Legislature. They included requests for $1.6 million in funding and some changes in pesticide regulations. The Legislature adopted the following task force recommendations and approved about $350,000 in funding.
- A law to prevent employers from retaliating against workers who file pesticide complaints
- A rule requiring applicators to maintain records for two years
- A rule requiring applicators to record the time they finish spraying a field
- Funding for two positions to help with farm-worker training
- Funding to improve data tracking at the Division of Public Health and the Pesticides Division at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as additional quality controls at the Pesticides Division
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