F992 Worker Protection Standard: Checklist for Pesticide Safety Training for workers and handlers

Worker Protection Standard
Checklist for Pesticide Safety Training for Workers and Handlers

Worker Protection Standard (WPS) requires that agricultural employers train their employees on pesticide safety. The training is to prevent pesticide injuries on the job. The type of training an employee receives depends on if the employee is a worker or a handler. A worker is an employee who works in areas that have been treated with pesticides and who may come into contact with residues. A handler is an employee who mixes, loads, or applies a pesticide. The training is to be conducted in a way the employees can understand. Only certified pesticide applicators, trainers certified by the state, or persons who have completed the Train-the-Trainer program may conduct training. The minimum requirements for training workers include 11 elements. If you train workers, the training must be done with approved materials by the Environmental Protection Agency, or training must include the elements listed as checklist questions in this publication. Use this publication to determine if you have met the compliance requirements for the WPS in your training.

Has your safety training included the following information?

Training for handlers

yes__no__	Where and in what you may contact pesticides at work.
yes__no__	The toxicity of pesticides and the resulting hazards of exposure. Acute, chronic, and delayed health effects as well as heightened sensitization should be included.
yes__no__	Routes through which pesticides may enter the body.
yes__no__	Signs and symptoms of pesticide poisoning.
yes__no__	Emergency first aid for pesticide injuries and poisonings.
yes__no__	Where to obtain emergency medical care.
yes__no__	Routine and emergency decontamination procedures, including emergency eye flushing.
yes__no__	Hazards from chemigation and drift.
yes__no__	Hazards of pesticide residues on clothing.
yes__no__	Warnings about taking pesticides or containers home.
yes__no__	An explanation that the Worker Protection Standard is designed to protect workers, including application and entry restrictions, design of the warning sign, posting of warning signs, oral warnings, availability of specific information about applications, and protection against retaliatory acts.

Signature: Handler ________________________________________________ Date: __________________

Training for workers

The Worker Protection Standard requires that agricultural employers train their employees on pesticide safety. The training is to prevent pesticide injuries on the job. The type of training an employee receives depends on if the employee is a worker or a handler. A worker is an employee who works in areas that have been treated with pesticides and who may come into contact with residues. A handler is an employee who mixes, loads, or applies a pesticide. Training is to be conducted in a way the employees can understand. Only certified pesticide applicators, trainers certified by the state, or persons who have completed the Train-the-Trainer program may conduct training. The minimum requirements for training handlers include 13 elements. If you train handlers, the training must be done with approved materials by the Environmental Protection Agency or training must include the elements listed as checklist questions in this publication. Use this publication to determine if you have met the compliance requirements for the WPS in your training.

Has your safety training included the following?

yes__no__ Format and meaning of information on pesticide labels, including safety information such as precautionary statements about human health hazards.

yes__no__ The toxicity of pesticides and the resulting hazards of exposure. Acute, chronic, and delayed health effects as well as heightened sensitization should be included.

yes__no__ Routes through which pesticides may enter the body.

yes__no__ Signs and symptoms of pesticide poisoning.

yes__no__ Emergency first aid for pesticide injuries and poisonings.

yes__no__ Where to obtain emergency medical care.

yes__no__ Routine and emergency decontamination procedure including emergency eye flushing.

yes__no__ Need for proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

yes__no__ Prevention, recognition, and first aid for heat-related illness.

yes__no__ Safety requirements for handling, transporting, storing, and disposing of pesticides, including general procedures for spill cleanup.

yes__no__ Environmental concerns such as drift, runoff, and wildlife.

yes__no__ Warnings about taking pesticides or containers home.

yes__no__ An explanation that the Worker Protection Standard is designed to protect handlers, including the prohibition against applying pesticides in a manner that will cause contact with workers or other persons, the requirement to use personal protective equipment, the provisions for training and decontamination, and the protection against retaliatory acts.

Signature: Handler __________________________________________________________ Date: _______________________

For more detailed information on complying with the Worker Protection Standard, see the WPS How To Comply Manual available through your county Extension office.

By Trent Spencer, former Extension Program Assistant, Agricultural Engineering, in cooperation with Herb Willcutt, Extension Agricultural Engineer, and Dr. Jim Hamer, Leader, Environmental and Agricultural Chemical Education (EACE), Mississippi State University. Funded by the Bureau of Plant Industry, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. Distributed by EACE.

Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status.

Form 992
Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. Ronald A. Brown, Director

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved.

This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

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Worker Protection Standard Checklist for Pesticide Safety Training for Workers and Handlers

Training for handlers

Training for workers

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved. This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Worker Protection Standard
Checklist for Pesticide Safety Training for Workers and Handlers

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved.

This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.