January 2025: In November 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced some changes to the Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) that are now in effect. They were minor changes, having to do with droplet sizes (determining the size of the AEZ), property boundaries, family exemptions, and when to resume suspended applications. EPA has reviewed the script of this course and determined that nothing is in conflict with the 2024 AEZ Rule. However, PERC encourages you to refer to EPA's interim guidance document where the revisions are explained more fully (e.g., immediate family exemption, droplet size criteria). The visual content of this course may be updated in 2025 to improve clarity, as needed.
Note: this course will not satisfy the train the trainer requirements in California for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. It will also not satisfy the train the trainer requirements in Arizona for the Arizona Department of Agriculture. You must contact them directly to get a list of courses that will.
This online course is the National Worker Protection Standard: Web-Based Training for Trainers of Agricultural Workers and Pesticide Handlers. The course was developed by the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC) through a cooperative agreement (agreement #X8-83616301) between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs and the University of California Davis Continuing and Professional Education, in collaboration with Oregon State University. Approval number EPA WPS TTT W/H 00030.
This course provides the information required to train those who will train agricultural workers and pesticide handlers under the U.S. EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS). It will guide you through the necessary procedures to provide agricultural workers and pesticide handlers with required information on how to avoid exposure to pesticides and pesticide residue.
Completion of this course certifies you as a qualified WPS trainer of agricultural workers and pesticide handlers in the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some states require state-specific training and this course alone would not qualify. Before enrolling, you must check with your state or tribal pesticide regulatory agency to verify possible additional requirements.
Each year, a new offering of the current course will be posted. This will allow students to retake the course as needed by employers and regulatory agencies. Previous year’s offering will be available on the student’s profile should they need to access to an older certificate. Note that the content will be identical each year, unless otherwise noted that there was a course revision.
For questions about the course content, contact PERCsupport@ucdavis.edu.
For questions about technical support (e.g., enrolling, payments, etc.) contact cataloghelp@extension.org.
No Refund Policy – Unless the course is not accessible using one the required operating system(s) or browser(s), then PERC will not issue a refund. If you have any questions about our No Refund Policy, please contact us at PERCsupport@ucdavis.edu.