Castle Rock High School offers farm safety training as county ag jobs increase

Students can earn an agricultural safety certification from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, aimed at reducing workplace accidents, as a class at the high school.

The free training, WISHA 10 for Agriculture Workers, covers topics like tractor safety, pesticide application and how to file complaints related to workplace hazards.

The class kicked off last week with 50 seniors in attendance. Going forward, the training will hopefully be available for all graduating seniors each year.

“Ultimately, the goal is to create safer workers and prevent future injuries,” Nelson said.

WISHA stands for the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act, a bill passed in 1973 that created a state industrial safety and health program. It is similar to the national Occupational Safety and Health Act, or OSHA, but allows Washington’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health to set stricter worker protections in addition to those required by OSHA.

Nelson arranged last year for himself and around 15 other teachers, mainly from Southwest Washington, to receive WISHA 10 training. This fall, the teachers returned for a four-day class to become accredited instructors, allowing them to certify students.

His fellow agriculture teacher Julia Collins also attended the training, and helped teach the class at Castle Rock.

There is a large demand in the area for agricultural jobs related to timber, maritime work, livestock and upcoming summer harvests, Nelson said. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the number of people working in the agriculture industry in Cowlitz County has increased, from 1.3% of all employed people over 16 in 2019 to 2.4% in 2022.

WISHA 10 certification is not directly required for those jobs, but most fields require some form of safety training, and having certified employees can benefit employers when it comes to insurance rates and company safety ratings, Nelson said.