The Agricultural Safety and Health team at the Pennsylvania State University, recognizing the need for formalized agricultural safety and health education for agricultural workers, has developed an online certificate course that provides an overview of the hazards common to farms and rural agricultural businesses. The course offers a general outline of the measures agricultural workers can take to identify and control such hazards.
Website Link
Click here to register for the AgSafety4u – Level 1 certificate course.
Cost
The level 1 certificate course costs $50.00 per person. Participants receive a certificate upon completion of the course.
Target Audience
The certificate course was developed for agricultural employees, employers, and other rural workers.
Learning Objectives and Goals
The AgSafety4u certificate course organizes training in six modules, each of which focuses on a particular subject area.
Module 1: Introduction
The introductory module provides an overview of agriculture, types of risks, and regulations related to safety and health.
Module 2: Safety Basics
This module provides information on the following topics:
- Injuries involving youth
- Age-appropriate tasks for youth
- Appropriate clothing for working on the farm
- Hazard warning signs
- Hand signals
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- First aid basics
Module 3: Agricultural Hazards
This module outlines information on the following topics:
- Mechanical hazards and associated safety considerations
- Animals
- Agricultural pesticides
- Electrical hazards
- Confined spaces, silos, grain bins, and manure storage areas
- Anhydrous ammonia
- Farmstead chemicals
Module 4: The Tractor
This module includes the following topics:
- Tractor types
- Tractor hazards
- Guidelines for age-appropriate tasks for children and youth
- Tractor instrument panels
- Tractor controls (stop engine, ground motion, power engagement, and positioning and adjusting)
- Operation symbols and the location and movement of tractor controls
- Preventative maintenance and preoperation checks
- Jumper cables
- Tractor stability
- Lighting and marking
The module also addresses the following activities:
- Starting and stopping diesel and gasoline engines
- Mounting and dismounting and starting and stopping a tractor
- Moving and steering a tractor
- Operating a tractor in reverse
- Using a tractor safely
- Operating a tractor on public roads
Module 5: Connecting and Using Implements with the Tractor
This module provides information on the following topics:
- Connecting implements to a tractor
- Using drawbar implements
- Using three-point hitch implements
- Making power take-off (PTO) connections
- Using PTO implements
- Using implements with hydraulic components
- Using implements with electrical connections
Module 6: Materials Handling
This module covers the use of the following vehicles:
- Skid steers
- All-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
- Utility vehicles
Evaluation
After completing each module, participants must complete an online quiz and answer 7 out of 10 questions correctly before continuing to the next module.
