Don’t Get Sprayed

If you work with pesticides on the Big Island, consider going to one of the upcoming iterations of the “Proper Pesticide Use and Safety Federal Worker Protection Standard Workshop.” Jointly sponsored by CTAHR and the HDOA, and presented by HDOA’s Cal Westergard, the 2-hour WPS class is open to all employers, owners, managers, and agricultural employees on farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses who want to learn about proper pesticide use and safety. Each workshop will include definitions of pesticides and Worker Protection Standards, a discussion of uses not covered by the WPS, a clarification of who needs to comply with WPS, exemptions for agricultural owners, WPS provisions, 1995 final rule amendments, and any changes/updates to the standards. They will end with a video on pesticide safety training and a question-and-answer period.Please click on the town that you will attend in to register for the workshop (registration is required). The Na‘alehu workshop is on August 2, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Na‘alehu Community Center, 95-5635 Mamalahoa Hwy. The Hilo workshop is on August 8, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the Komohana Research and Education Center, Room D202, 875 Komohana St. The Kamuela workshop is on August 16, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Waimea Civic Center Conference Room (next to the Kamuela Police Station), 67-5189 Kamamalu Rd. And the Kona workshop is on September 13, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the Kona Cooperative Extension Conference Room, 79-7381 Mamalahoa Hwy. Pending approval, this class will offer 2.0 Continuing Education Credits (CEU) in categories Private 1 and Commercial 1a, 2, 3, 9 and 10—please bring your RUP license with you to the workshop.