California Code of Regulations › Title 3 - Food and Agriculture › Division 6 - Pesticides and Pest Control Operations › Chapter 3 - Pest Control Operations › Subchapter 3 - Pesticide Worker Safety › Article 2 - General Safety Requirements › Section 6724 - Handler Training

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
The employer shall ensure that employees who handle
						pesticides have been trained pursuant to the requirements of this section and
						that all other provisions of this section have been complied with for employees
						who handle pesticides.
(a) The
					 employer shall have a written training program. The training program shall
					 describe the materials (e.g., study guides, pamphlets, pesticide product
					 labeling, Pesticide Safety Information Series leaflets, Safety Data Sheets,
					 slides, video) and information that will be provided and used to train his or
					 her employees and identify the individual or firm that will provide the
					 training. The training program shall address each of the subjects specified in
					 subsection (b) that is applicable to the specific pesticide handling situation.
					 The employer shall maintain a copy of the training program while in use and for
					 two years after use, at a central location at the workplace.
(b) The training shall cover, for each
					 pesticide or chemically similar group of pesticides, to be used:
(1) Format and meaning of information
					 contained in pesticide product labeling applicable to the safe use of the
					 pesticide, such as precautionary statements about human health hazards and
					 labeling-required personal protective equipment;
(2) Applicator's responsibility to protect
					 persons, animals, and property while applying pesticides; and not to apply
					 pesticides in a manner that results in contact with persons not involved in the
					 application process;
(3) Need for,
					 limitations, appropriate use, removal, and sanitation of any required personal
					 protective equipment;
(4) Safety
					 requirements and procedures, including engineering controls (such as closed
					 mixing systems and enclosed cabs) for handling, transporting, storing,
					 disposing of pesticides, and spill clean-up;
(5) Where and in what forms pesticides may be
					 encountered, including treated surfaces, residues on clothing, personal
					 protective equipment, application equipment, and drift;
(6) Hazards of pesticides, including acute,
					 chronic, and delayed effects, and sensitization effects, as identified in
					 pesticide product labeling, Safety Data Sheets, or Pesticide Safety Information
					 Series leaflets;
(7) Routes by
					 which pesticides can enter the body;
(8) Signs and symptoms of
					 overexposure;
(9) Routine
					 decontamination procedures when handling pesticides, including that employees
					 should:
(A) Wash hands before eating,
					 drinking, using the toilet, chewing gum, or using tobacco;
(B) Thoroughly wash or shower with soap and
					 water;
(C) Change into clean
					 clothes as soon as possible; and
(D) Wash work clothes separately from other
					 laundry before wearing them again.
(10) How Safety Data Sheets provide hazard,
					 emergency medical treatment, and other information about the pesticides with
					 which employees may come in contact;
(11) The hazard communication program
					 requirements of section
					 6723;
(12) The purposes and requirements for
					 medical supervision if organophosphate or carbamate pesticides with the signal
					 word "DANGER" or "WARNING" on the labeling are mixed, loaded, or applied for
					 the commercial or research production of an agricultural plant
					 commodity;
(13) First aid and
					 emergency decontamination procedures and emergency eye flushing techniques; and
					 if pesticides are spilled or sprayed on the body to wash immediately with
					 decontamination supplies and as soon as possible, wash or shower with soap and
					 water and change into clean clothes;
(14) How and when to obtain emergency medical
					 care;
(15) Prevention, recognition,
					 and first aid for heat-related illness in accordance with Title 8 of the
					 California Code of Regulations, section
					 3395;
(16) Requirements of this chapter and chapter
					 4 relating to pesticide safety, Safety Data Sheets, and Pesticide Safety
					 Information Series leaflets;
(17)
					 The requirement that handlers must be at least 18 years of age if handling:
(A) restricted materials specified in section
					 6400, or
(B) pesticides used in the commercial or
					 research production of an agricultural commodity;
(18) Environmental concerns such as drift,
					 runoff, and wildlife hazards;
(19)
					 Field posting requirements and restricted entry intervals when pesticides are
					 applied for the commercial or research production of an agricultural
					 commodity;
(20) That employees
					 should not take pesticides or pesticide containers home from work;
(21) Potential hazards to children and
					 pregnant women from pesticide exposures, including that:
(A) Children and nonworking family members
					 should keep away from treated areas;
(B) After performing handling activities or
					 after working in a treated area, employees should remove boots or shoes before
					 entering the home and remove work clothes; and
(C) Employees should wash or shower before
					 physical contact with children or family members;
(22) How to report suspected pesticide use
					 violations;
(23) How to identify if
					 a product is either a federal Restricted Use Pesticide or a California
					 restricted material specified in section
					 6400, and that federal Restricted
					 Use Pesticides and California restricted materials shall be used only by a
					 certified private or commercial applicator or by an individual working under
					 the direct supervision of a certified applicator;
(24) When any federal Restricted Use
					 Pesticide or California restricted material specified in section
					 6400 is used by a noncertified
					 applicator, the training must cover:
(A)
					 Where to identify on the labeling if the product requires a certified
					 applicator to be physically present during the use of the pesticide;
(B) The certified applicator's responsibility
					 to provide instructions specific to the site and pesticide(s) prior to use,
					 including:
1. Pesticide product labeling
					 directions, precautions, and requirements applicable to the specific use and
					 site; and
2. How the
					 characteristics of the use site (e.g., surface and ground water, endangered
					 species, local population) and the conditions of application (e.g., equipment,
					 method of application, formulation) might increase or decrease the risk of
					 adverse effects;
(C) The
					 requirement for each employee to be able to immediately communicate directly
					 with the supervising certified applicator as specified in Section
					 6731; and
(25) The employee's rights, including the
					 right:
(A) To personally receive information
					 about pesticides to which he or she may be exposed;
(B) For his or her physician or an employee
					 representative designated in writing to receive information about pesticides to
					 which he or she may be exposed;
(C)
					 To be protected against retaliatory action due to the exercise of any of his or
					 her rights; and
(D) To report
					 suspected use violations to the Department or county agricultural
					 commissioner.