SEATTLE, Wash. — March 2026 — The University of Washington has released an updated version of PestiSeguro™/PestiSafe™, a bilingual mobile application designed to deliver critical pesticide safety information in both Spanish and English to agricultural and forestry workers across Washington and Oregon.
“There are words that I learned in English and don't know the meaning in Spanish. Now I can consult the label in Spanish and learn the translation for those words.” –Orchard manager
For many agricultural workers—especially those whose primary language is Spanish—pesticide safety remains a significant challenge. Although pesticide labels contain essential safety instructions, they are written solely in English, except for one sentence in Spanish advising workers to seek assistance if they cannot understand the label. This gap has serious consequences: Washington State Department of Health data from 2018 identified 630 cases of pesticide-related illness among farmworkers, with 90% preferring Spanish-language communication and 79% of cases stemming from difficulty accessing or acting on English-only safety instructions.
PestiSeguro™/PestiSafe™ aims to close this gap by providing:
- Bilingual pesticide safety information accessible via mobile devices
- Offline functionality for remote agricultural and forestry settings
- A user-friendly design with intuitive navigation
- A regularly updated database featuring more than 300+ commonly used pesticides for specialty crops and forestry vegetation management
- Direct links to complete product labels in English via the PICOL (Pesticide Information Online) Database
Originally developed for the tree fruit industry, the app now serves a broader range of workers involved in pesticide application and vegetation management across the region. By offering essential safety information in workers’ preferred languages, the application supports safer practices, reduces the risk of chemical exposure, and helps agricultural operations save time and money by avoiding costly handling errors.
The app was created by the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH) at the University of Washington’s Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. All information provided within the app is intended for reference and informational purposes only.
PNASH Center aims to work with partners to disseminate the PestiSeguro™/PestiSafe™ release widely. Please contact us for marketing materials, media messages, or an event speaker in English or Spanish.
PestiSeguro™/PestiSafe™ is available for free in the Apple Store and Google Play.
For More Information: Contact: Pablo Palmández (hablo español) Email: palmap@uw.edu
Visit: PestiSeguro™/PestiSafe™ App | Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center
Visita en español: PestiSeguro™/PestiSafe™ App en español | Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center
