The Health & Safety Training Program is funded primarily by the Association of Farmworker Opportunities Program (AFOP). This program provides farmworkers with life-saving information about pesticide exposure, heatstroke/heat stress prevention, and COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies.

AFOP has committed to training as many farmworkers as possible through its active network of trainers.

National Farmworker Training Program (NFTP)

The NFTP focuses on impacting agriculture workers and their families by providing multiple occupational health & safety training in over 30 states with our network of over 230 trainers.

AFOP’s train the trainer model sets up Proteus and other member organizations for success through accommodating training and bilingual material.

What Happens at a Health & Safety Training?

Our nationally trained employees at Proteus provide heat stress and pesticide safety training at the time and location for employers. Our training is taught with visual aids and interactive training techniques for a low-literacy approach to learning.

After each training, there are typically essential items provided to the farmworkers in attendance. Items such as toiletries, laundry bags to separate work clothes, long-sleeve shirts, as well as resource material from Proteus and partner organizations.

Information for Employers

Call 1 (800) 372-6031 to learn more and schedule your training.

Proteus offers free pesticide training sessions for farmworkers, greenhouse workers, vineyard staff, or others who work closely with pesticides. Proteus is a member of the National Farmworker Training Program (NFTP) which provides multiple occupational health and safety training topics to the farmworker community. The program is sponsored by the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) thanks to funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Held on-site, the training sessions are bilingual and interactive. Each session is one hour and presents information required by law under the Worker Protection Standard. Training is given in small group presentations and trainees are encouraged to participate and ask questions.

Programs offered to farmworkers and their employers educate them on how to prevent heat-related illness or death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, farmworkers die from heat-related illness at a rate 20 times greater than that of the entire U.S. civilian workforce. Yet, with appropriate steps, heat-related illness is preventable and fatalities can be avoided.

Our nationally trained employees provide heat stress training to help others recognize the symptoms of heat-related illness, how to prevent heat stress/heat stroke, and what to do in an emergency. The information provided helps agricultural employers prevent a heat stress incident and teaches how to properly respond if an incident does occur.

  • Program is offered in English and/or Spanish
  • Flexible scheduling – time and date
  • Convenient location – held on-site
  • FREE printed materials
  • FREE EPA-required poster
  • FREE roster of trained workers