Just three days before graduation, 48 Castle Rock High School seniors completed the WISHA-10 for Agriculture safety program, a first-of-its-kind initiative by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. This pioneering program in schools promotes safer workplaces by teaching students and potential first-time agriculture workers how to identify and eliminate workplace hazards.
The 10-hour course covered various safety topics, such as machinery operation, personal protective equipment, and chemical exposure. Students engaged in both classroom learning and hands-on activities to reinforce their knowledge. For example, they learned about the transfer of animal diseases through a water activity and inspected a tractor to understand machine safety and maintenance.
Upon completion, students received certificates from the Division of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH), presented at Senior Awards Night. Castle Rock High School is the first in Washington to issue these accredited certificates, highlighting the program’s groundbreaking nature. Washington is the only state among the 27 with a statewide workplace safety program to implement such training in schools.
Collin Nelson, Castle Rock High School’s agriculture teacher, spearheaded the program along with fellow agriculture teacher and CTE Director Julia Collins. Before classroom implementation, Nelson, along with other teachers from southwest Washington, completed the WISHA-10 training program and a 40-hour Train-the-Trainer program. This marked the first time DOSH trained teachers to deliver this program, setting the precedent for other schools to follow Castle Rock’s example.
For Ella Sexton, a recent graduate, the training directly applied to her aspiration of owning her own nursery shop.
“Soil mixers use conveyor belts, so learning machine safety is important when owning a nursery, as is greenhouse safety,” Sexton shared. Her advice for future students: “Lots of caffeine, and take notes!”
To earn their certification, students had to pass a 12-question test on the final day of training, achieving a 100% passing rate. The certification not only enhances students’ resumes, making them stand out in job searches, but it also benefits employers by providing pre-certified workers.
Bradley Farrar, an outreach program manager at DOSH, emphasized the program’s collaborative nature and its importance in one of the state’s most dangerous industries.
“A lot of things they learn, they can take into any industry,” Farrar noted. “We’re excited for these high schoolers to stay safe and return home safely from their job sites in the future.”
