Simplifying respiratory safety on the farm
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EmailOne resource for choosing the right respirator, meeting regulations, and protecting your team.
Agricultural work often exposes people to dust, vapors and other airborne hazards that can take a toll on long-term health. To help farms and agricultural businesses better protect their teams, the Michigan State University Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Michigan State University Extension have developed a new resource, “Respiratory Protection Requirements in Agriculture.” This comprehensive resource brings together essential guidance for pesticide and non-pesticide situations, blending regulatory requirements with practical tools like at-a-glance summaries, checklists and posters that can be used right on the farm.
Whether you need to meet Worker Protection Standard requirements for pesticide handlers or follow Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) standards for welding, grain dust or confined space entry, this guide serves as a one-stop reference for building or improving a respiratory safety program.
What’s inside the toolkit?
The Respiratory Protection Requirements in Agriculture toolkit was designed to be practical and thorough, giving employers and workers one resource that covers the full range of inhalation hazards found on farms.
Selection and use guidance. The toolkit provides step-by-step direction for choosing the right respirator based on the hazard — whether that means a particulate filter for grain dust, a combination chemical cartridge with filter for pesticides, or a supplied-air system for oxygen-deficiency or toxic gasses. It also explains key technical details such as NIOSH TC numbers, filter efficiency ratings, and how to interpret pesticide label language.
Practical tools for the farm. To help employers put the information into practice, the guide includes at-a-glance summaries, checklists for compliance tasks, fit test and training record forms, and posters that can be posted in the workplace or filed in safety binders. These tools make it easier to set up a compliant respiratory protection program and keep it running smoothly year after year.
Detailed program element tables. At the heart of the guide is a comprehensive table outlining each element of a respiratory protection program, along with the corresponding regulatory citations. The table is divided into pesticide and non-pesticide sections, with further subdivisions for agricultural versus non-agricultural tasks. This allows users to quickly find the requirements relevant to activities as varied as spraying crops, disinfecting barns, welding equipment or pumping out a manure pit.
Clear separation of regulatory requirements. A major feature of the guide is its distinction between pesticide and non-pesticide respirator use. These two areas are governed by different agencies and standards, which can create confusion for employers. Pesticide use is regulated under the Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development standards including the Worker Protection Standard, while non-pesticide hazards such as welding fumes, grain dust or manure pit entry fall under MIOSHA and OSHA standards. The toolkit organizes these requirements side by side, making it easier to understand what rules apply in each situation.
By combining regulatory requirements with plain-language explanations and ready-to-use materials, the toolkit reduces complexity while still giving employers the depth of detail they need.
Access the toolkit
Respiratory hazards are a reality in nearly every corner of agriculture, but protecting workers doesn’t have to be complicated. The Respiratory Protection Requirements in Agriculture guide brings together the information, resources and practical tools needed to build or improve a farm’s respiratory safety program. By combining clear explanations with ready-to-use checklists, forms and posters, the guide makes it easier for agricultural employers to safeguard their teams while meeting regulatory requirements.
Download the free Respiratory Protection Requirements in Agriculture toolkit
Ed Parsons is a certified safety professional and investigator for the Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation research program in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Michigan State University.
Laurel Harduar Morano, PhD, is an associate professor in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Michigan State University. With 20 years of public health experience, Harduar Morano focuses on occupational and environmental epidemiology, specializing in understanding the causes of work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities.
More information on work-related injuries and illness can be found at their website: oem.msu.edu
