Safe Handling: A Look at Pesticide Safety Training and Certification

Anyone looking for a well-paying job can find some good money as a pest control technician. Currently, the average base salary is roughly $19.34 per hour. However, that number may go as high as $27.08 depending on your experience and the area you work in.

However, getting a job in pest control isn't as easy as finding a job opening and applying. Various levels of pesticide safety training may be required. This is not only to protect the company but also to protect the pesticide handler.

Here's everything you need to know about pesticide training and certification.

The Importance of Pesticide Safety Training

As most people know, pesticides are a type of chemical meant for killing, repelling, and otherwise controlling pests in an area or a property. However, many of these chemicals can prove equally harmful to human beings.

Some chronic diseases linked to pesticide exposure include cancer, neurological disorders, and even birth defects. In the short term, you can experience nausea, dizziness, and even death.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created many different regulationsto protect employees who work in hazardous environments. One of the many kinds you may need to cover includes those protecting pesticide handlers.

Taking relevant training courses allows for better pesticide safety measures. This helps to make sure that your employees aren't making common mistakes when handling these dangerous chemicals. It also protects your company from any potential lawsuits or workers' compensation claims.

Pesticide Handler Training Curriculum

Anyone who may come into contact with pesticides during their daily work should receive some level of pesticide safety training. This may include anyone from a flagger, a crop advisor, or even someone who mixes agricultural pesticides for sale.

In fact, many states require some kind of license to work with pesticides. Failure to have one can result in fines and jail time.

Introduction to Pesticide Worker Safety

Your training course will begin by covering what exactly counts as a pesticide and the different types of exposure you might encounter. This will include the associated health risks as well as injury statistics so you know what you may have to deal with.

Expect your employees to learn some basic key terms that will help them with the rest of the course.

Handling Safety

The pesticide handling safety section covers everything involving moving, cleaning up, and disposing of pesticides. Your employees cannot handle pesticides the same way they would something like cleaning supplies.

It's especially important that they learn how to clean up pesticide spills and when it becomes an emergency. This could involve giving an exposed individual first aid until they can get to the nearest hospital.

EPA Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS)

The EPA's Workers Protection Standard was first created on August 13, 1992. This regulation was intended to protect agricultural employees who may come into contact with harmful pesticides or residue in their daily tasks. It also includes those who handle pesticides outside of an agricultural setting.

Employers are the ones who are responsible for this level of compliance. In this section of the training course, your employees will learn what is covered by the WPS and who the protected parties are. They'll also go over any new requirements that have been put in place in recent years.

Employer Requirements

The section on employer requirements further elaborates on their responsibilities.

For example, an employer should make sure that their workplace has pesticide safety posters with the right criteria to remind employees of various hazards. They must undertake their own pesticide safety training and learn more about the qualifications required of their employees.

Most importantly, an employer needs to know how to provide emergency assistance in the case of a spill or accident.

Additional Employer Requirements

Even though an employer may not handle the daily operations or management of their employees, they still need to know how to keep them safe. This involves knowing equipment safety measures, what kind of personal protective equipment (PPE) is needed, and when to replace both of them.

On top of that, they need to know the exceptions to PPE requirements. This includes whether they're operating equipment with an enclosed cab or an aircraft of some kind.

Other Course Details

At the very least, the pesticide education course will take you two hours to complete. There are many benefits to online courses, one of which is that you can log on and off whenever you need to. This allows you to take breaks or complete other tasks without losing your progress.

Pesticide handlers and workers must renew their training every year. Failure to do so may result in fines and other penalties. It could also mean that they're working with outdated information on certain regulations and compliance measures.

Each student also receives continuing education credits from their online training course. Additionally, the course is available in over 100 different languages.

Important Certifications

The Agricultural Worker Protection Standard is only one of the certifications you can receive in this line of work. On top of this, you can get a pesticide applicator certification and hazard communication standard (HCS) training.

Pesticide applicator certification covers topics such as pest identification and pesticide selection. HCS training focuses more on hazardous chemicals in the workplace and how to prioritize effective communication.

Depending on your line of work, you may also want to get international certifications such as the one provided by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN. Their International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management covers global standards for pesticide management and use.

Try Out Our Online Training Course

Pesticide safety training is an essential part of maintaining a safe work environment and protecting your employees. It's needed even if handling pesticides is only a small fraction of their job description.

Compliance Training Online has helped keep your employees safe and educated since 2008. Our online modules cover regulations from OSHA, DOT HAZMAT, the EPA, and more. Currently, over 31,600 companies and government agencies use our online courses.

Reach out today if you have any questions about our online training courses and to get a quote on your order.