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AG SAFETY WORKSHOP SET FOR JACKSON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) will sponsor an “Ag Safety Days” training session at the Jackson County Fairgrounds September 22-25. The week-long session provides farmers and businesses with free safety training on a variety of issues.
“We are very fortunate that we have staff with the expertise to conduct these sessions, which save our state’s farmers and businesses thousands of dollars in training costs,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. “And more importantly, this training helps save lives. Many of the people who take these classes are under no requirement to do so, but because there’s no cost, it encourages them to be more safety conscious.”
Commissioner Douglass added that the training is important because so many people in the agriculture community fall under the umbrella of some regulatory agency.
“There are a lot of people who think they don’t need it. But if they hire a single outside person, they then fall under OSHA and EPA regulations,” he said.
Classes include OSHA overview, emergency response to accidents, ATV/utility vehicle safety, safe operation of tractors, skid-steer and forklifts, pesticide handling and application, respirator fit testing, CPR and first aid. Recertification credits for pesticide applicators may apply to some classes.
Participants can pick and choose the sessions they’d like to attend and don’t have to attend the entire week. Sessions are typically a half day, and customized training sessions can be arranged.
Individual participants must register by September 15. Contact WVDA Licensing Specialist Kathy Martin at 304-558-2209 or kmartin@ag.state.wv.us to register.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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