New Worker Protection Standard Training Materials

One of the revisions required the use of new EPA-approved training materials and those new materials are now required for the training of workers and handlers as of December 19, 2018. The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health – Rural Health Farm Worker Protection Safety Program with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has several new training materials available for free for Pennsylvania growers.

Training videos are available for orchards, greenhouses, vegetables, nursery, mushrooms, and vineyards. Each DVD contains both Worker and Handler training both in English and Spanish versions. To complete the training requirements for handlers, handlers need to watch both the worker-handler-training video in addition to the handler training video.

Agricultural Safety Training DVDs

For growers located outside of Pennsylvania or those who would prefer to show them via our website, the videos can be accessed at The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health website. Select Programs from the Home page, click on the Worker Protection Standard and Agricultural Safety and Health tab and then the WPS Training Resources box on the right.

For those growers who do not have internet access or use DVD players, we have a Worker handbook available in two versions including a Plain English version and a multi-cultural Worker handbook in English and Spanish. We are in the process of developing a Handler WPS training handbook and hope to have it available this fall.

Keep in mind that under the 2015 WPS revision, both Workers and Handlers must now be trained every year. Be sure to have employees sign-off on their training and keep those sign-off forms on file at least two years. If employees request a copy of that sign-off form, employers are required to give them a free copy. Those sign-off forms are important to keep on file. If you do not have a sign-off form on file inspectors will not consider that employee as trained. Handlers with a current Pennsylvania pesticide certification are considered trained, and employers should keep a copy of their pesticide certification in the training file.

Although there are no "official" sign-off forms, Penn State has put together sample sign-off forms for Worker and Handler training plus sign-off forms for the annual respirator fit test and training required for Handlers working with pesticides requiring a respirator.

To request a training DVD or Handbook or any of the sign-off forms contact Jim Harvey at jdh18@psu.edu or call him at 814-863-8214. You can also find those forms on the website where you can also access the worker and handler training videos.