Required Content for Handler Training

To meet the WPS criteria, training for handlers must include at least the following information:

• Format and meaning of information on pesticide labels, including safety information such as precautionary statements about human health hazards
• Hazards of pesticides resulting from toxicity and exposure, including acute effects, chronic effects, delayed effects, and sensitization
• Routes by which pesticides can enter the body
• Signs and symptoms of common types of pesticide overexposure
• Emergency first aid for pesticide injuries or poisonings
• Information about how to obtain emergency medical care
• Routine and emergency decontamination procedures, including emergency eye-flushing techniques
• The need for and appropriate use of PPE
• Prevention, recognition, and first aid treatment of heat-related illness
• Safety requirements for handling, transporting, storing, and disposing of pesticides, including general procedures for cleaning up spills
• Environmental concerns, such as drift, runoff, and wildlife hazards
• Warnings about taking pesticides or pesticide containers home
• An explanation of the WPS requirements that handler employees must follow for the protection of handlers and others, including the prohibition against applying pesticides in a manner that will cause contact with workers or other persons, the requirement to use PPE, the provisions for training and decontamination, and the protection against retaliatory acts

To learn more about Pesticide Handler Safety visit our Pesticide Handler Safety Online Training web page.