What factors do worker protection standards primarily focus on?

Worker Protection Standards (WPS) primarily focus on the risk of pesticide exposure to agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. These regulations are designed to minimize the potential for harm by establishing safety measures, protocols, and training requirements to protect individuals who work in and around pesticide-treated areas.

The emphasis on exposure risk includes ensuring that workers have access to necessary protective equipment, safety training regarding pesticide applications, and proper information about the chemicals they may be handling. The overarching goal is to mitigate health risks associated with pesticide exposure, making it a priority in the framework of worker safety regulations.

In this context, while economic impact, environmental sustainability, and crop yield improvement are important factors in agricultural practices, they are not the primary focus of the WPS. The standards are specifically tailored to safeguard the health and safety of workers who are directly involved with pesticides, underscoring the importance of protecting human health in agricultural settings.