Training opportunities are offered throughout the year for Cornell pesticide applicators, faculty and staff. 

Scheduling and logistics information can be found on the web at the following link https://oehwps.cals.cornell.edu/ 

Pre-registration is required. 

Federal Worker Protection Standard Certification Classes

Worker Protection Standard (WPS) training is required by an EPA regulation. The training is designed to protect agricultural workers and pesticide handlers from the risks of exposure to pesticide residues.

Trainings

Schedule/Required Pre-registration

For CALS Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) Training questions, email cals-oehtraining [at] cornell.edu (cals-oehtraining[at]cornell[dot]edu).

Fall & Spring Seminars

In the Fall and Spring Agricultural Safety Seminars are offered.  Past trainings include: Chainsaw Safety, CPR/AED/First Aid, Confined Space Training and Utility Vehicle Safety.

The annual training is held in Ithaca during Cornell Spring Break.  The training is also held at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva.  This training offers pesticide applicators NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recertification training credits. Agricultural topics are pesticide related.

WHY:  The Cornell University Health and Safety Policy includes pesticide use and application procedures that require any university employee who uses pesticides to

  1. be a certified applicator and
  2. attend an annual update program.

The University procedures define "pesticide use" as any handling of pesticides.  Examples include:

  • pest control within buildings, outdoors, on university grounds, plants and animals;
  • pesticide-related efficacy testing, studies of impact on biological control agents, leaching, residue analyses, environmental fate, etc.; and
  • transportation or storage of pesticides.

Who Should Attend

All university personnel, including faculty, who use pesticides in their maintenance, research, teaching, and extension programs.  For those unable to attend, a DVD of the program will be shown in May or June.  Watching the DVD will qualify for DEC recertification credits and will satisfy the requirements of the university policy. Contact Eric Harrington [eh22 [at] cornell.edu (e-mail: eh22[at]cornell[dot]edu)] for more information.

Held each year in Ithaca.  The annual training is held in the winter.  This training offers pesticide applicators NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recertification training credits. Agricultural topics are pesticide and greenhouse related. 

Annual Pesticide Applicator Certification Orientation (for new users of pesticides) and Pesticide Applicator Examination

WHY:  The Cornell Pesticide Use and Application Procedures require that all new pesticide users at Cornell attend an orientation concerning the policies, procedures, and guidelines for safe and effective use of pesticides.  At present, pesticide use is defined as any handling of pesticides, including:

  • pest control within buildings, outdoors, on University grounds, plants or animals;
  • pesticide-related efficacy testing, studies of impact on biological control agents, leaching, residue analysis, environmental fate, etc., and
  • transportation or storage of pesticides.

Exemptions

  1. Licensed veterinarians and licensed veterinary technicians working under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian in a vet facility are exempt from the requirement for certification when applying "general use" pesticides.
  2. Small laboratory quantities of pesticides used for analysis and treatment of samples in a laboratory and in an environmentally non-dispersive manner are exempt from the requirement of attending the orientation [i.e. Application to a single plant seed in a petri dish inside a chemical hood. For more clarification, please contact Eric Harrington [eh22 [at] cornell.edu (e-mail: eh22[at]cornell[dot]edu)].

Who Should Attend

  1. Anyone newly involved in, or who is expected to be involved in, pesticide use, as defined above.
  2. Anyone involved in pesticide use, as defined above, who has not previously attended this orientation program.

Worker Protection Standard (WPS) training is required by an EPA regulation.  The training is designed to protect agricultural workers and pesticide handlers from the risks of exposure to pesticide residues.  An agricultural worker is anyone who does tasks, such as harvesting, weeding, or watering, related to the production of agricultural plants on farms, forests, nurseries, and in greenhouses. A pesticide handler is anyone who does tasks such as mixing, loading, transferring or applying pesticides, handling open pesticide containers, acting as a flagger or crop advisor, assisting with a pesticide application, cleaning or repairing application equipment, etc.

All College employees, including students, and students who handle agricultural plant materials as part of a research project must attend a training session 1) if those plant materials are treated with any type of pesticide, and 2) if the work with the plant material occurs within 30 days of the expiration of the restricted entry interval for the pesticide.  Handlers and early-entry workers must attend WPS before doing any handler or early-entry task. All workers must attend WPS training before beginning to work with pesticide-treated materials. Certified pesticide applicators do not need to attend.  Every training session is valid for either field or greenhouse work.         

Training and Workshop Schedule

Federal Worker Protection Standard Certification Classes

WPS Information, Resources, and Policies

Annual Trainings:

  • 2023 Tractor Safety Training (On-line) 
  • Cryogen Training (On-line)
  • Fall Safety Training- Fall 2023
  • Greenhouse Update- Winter 2024
  • Pesticide Applicator Update- Spring 2024
  • Spring Safety Seminar- Spring 2024

Video and On-line Trainings

Schedule/Required Pre-registration are available at:

https://oehwps.cals.cornell.edu

Contact OEH Training

For CALS Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) Training questions, email:

  • cals-oehtraining [at] cornell.edu