Safety training resources for agricultural workers

DWC publications:

Farm and ranch safety basics

Learn to spot common hazards on farms, ranches, and forestry operations and use checklists to improve safety.

• Agriculture and Child Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Agricultural Hand Signals Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Farm and Ranch Safety Audit Checklist (English/Spanish).
• Farm Equipment and Rural Road Safety Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Farm Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Farm Tractor Road Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Farm Rollover Prevention Safety Training Program (English).

Outdoor work, heat, and weather

Protect workers from heat illness, cold stress, and sun exposure while working in fields, pastures, forests, and on the water.

• 5 Tips for Heat Stroke Awareness (English).
• 5 Tips for Working in Cold Weather (English).
• Cold Stress Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Fluid Replacement Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Heat Illness and Injury Prevention Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Heat Stress Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Hypothermia Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Keeping Workers Safe in the Heat (English).
• Summer Safety Tips for Outdoor Workers (English).
• Summer Safety Tips for Workers Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Sun Safety – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).
• Winter Safety Tips for Outside Workers (English).

• Working Outdoors Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).

Tractors, machinery, and off-road vehicles

Learn how to prevent tractor rollovers, runovers, PTO entanglements, and other machinery injuries in fields, orchards, and forestry operations.

• Chainsaw Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Farm Equipment and Rural Road Safety Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Farm Tractor Road Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Farm Tractor Rollover Prevention Safety Training Program (English).
• Protecting Agricultural Workers From Tractor Hazards tip article (English).

Pesticides, fertilizers, and other farm chemicals

Use these resources to train workers who mix, load, apply, or store pesticides, fertilizers, and other farm or fishing chemicals, and to prepare for splashes and spills.

• Eyewash and Emergency Shower Safety Workplace Program (English/Spanish).
• Hazard Communication (HazCom) Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Hazard Communication (HazCom) Sample Written Program (English/Spanish).
• Pesticide Application Safety Training Program (English).
• Pesticide‑Exposed Clothing Decontamination – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).
• Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).

Agricultural dusts and respiratory hazards

Understand the risks from cotton, grain, and other organic dusts, and how to protect lungs with ventilation, housekeeping, and respiratory protection.

• Agricultural and Farm Dust Safety Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Grain Dust: The Hidden Explosion Risk in Grain Handling (English/Spanish).
• Grain Handling Safety Tips (English).
• Grain Handling Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).

Animals, insects, and outdoor biological hazards

Protect workers who handle animals or work outdoors from bites, kicks, diseases that spread between animals and people, and insect and wildlife hazards.

• Livestock Handling Safety Training Program (English).
• Landscapers vs. Texas Critters Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).

Confined spaces, grain bins, silos, and pits

Learn how to recognize and control the dangers of working in or around grain bins, silos, manure pits, and other confined spaces.

• Confined Space Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Grain Auger Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Silo and Grain Bin Safety Fact Sheet (English).
• Silo Safety: Protecting Lives on the Farm (English/Spanish).

Lifting, repetitive work, and ergonomics

Reduce strains and sprains from lifting feed, moving equipment, repetitive harvesting, and other manual tasks, and learn how exoskeletons may help some workers.

• Back Injury Prevention Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Back Injury Prevention Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Ergonomics – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).

• Lifting Safely – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).

• Preventing Repetitive Stress Injuries in Construction (English).
• Prevent Back Pain and Injury (English).
• Protecting Workers from Repetitive Stress Injuries (English).

• Shoulder Injury Prevention Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Vibration Injury Prevention Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).

Slips, trips, falls, and working at heights

Learn how to prevent falls on wet, uneven, or muddy surfaces and while working from ladders, barns, and elevated platforms.

• Fall Prevention in Sawmills – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).
• Ladder Safety – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).
• Personal Fall Protection Systems Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).
• Step Up to Safety: Preventing Ladder Accidents on the Job (English/Spanish).

Emergency planning for farms, ranches, and fishing crews

Develop emergency plans for injuries, extreme weather, chemical spills, and other events on farms, ranches, forestry sites, and fishing operations, including remote and lone‑worker situations.

• Farm and Ranch Safety Audit Checklist (English/Spanish).
• Emergency Action Plan Sample Written Program (English/Spanish).
• Emergency Management Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Workplace Emergencies Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).

General safety basics for all workers

These general safety basics apply to all agricultural workers and can support training in any of the topics above.

First Aid

• Basic First Aid Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• First Aid for Burns – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).
• First Aid Kits – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).
• First Aid for Severe Bleeding – Take 5 for Safety (English/Spanish).

Personal Protective Equipment

• Eye Injury Prevention Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Eye Protection Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Foot and Leg Protection Workplace Program (English/Spanish).
• Footwear Safety Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Hand Protection from Chemical Exposure Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Personal Protective Equipment Fact Sheet (English/Spanish).
• Personal Protective Equipment Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Personal Protective Equipment Workplace Program (English/Spanish).
• Protective Clothing Workplace Program (English/Spanish).
• Protective Headgear Safety Training Program (English/Spanish).
• Respirator Fit Test – Take 5 for Safety (English).
• Respiratory Protection in the Workplace: Fit Testing Matters! (English/Spanish).
• Respiratory Protection Workplace Program (English/Spanish).

Training programs available:

More information on training programs is available in the Training Program Descriptions publication, visit www.txsafetyatwork.com, or contact Workplace Safety at 512-804-4610 or SafetyTraining@tdi.texas.gov.

Help from your insurance company:

If you have a workers’ compensation policy in Texas, your insurance company must give you free accident prevention help, including:

• Surveys.
• Consultations.
• Safety advice and training.
• Industrial hygiene and health services.
• Claims history.
• Accident analysis.

You must contact your insurance company for help. If you have any trouble getting help from your insurance company, contact DWC at 800-687-7080 or healthsafety@tdi.texas.gov.