A garden center merchandiser needs safety education to protect themselves from workplace hazards. This includes understanding hazard communication, handling hazardous chemicals, and emergency procedures 2, 4. Training should cover how to detect hazardous chemicals, understand their physical and health hazards, and implement protective measures [1].

Key areas of safety education include:

• Hazard Communication: Education on labels, safety data sheets (SDS), and understanding hazard information is crucial 1, 2, 4. Employees should know how to access and interpret SDSs for each hazardous chemical they work with 4, 16.
• Safe Handling of Hazardous Products: Training must cover the safe use, storage, handling, and disposal of hazardous products [2]. This includes knowing necessary procedures for emergencies involving hazardous products [2].
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Employees need to be trained on the proper selection, use, and maintenance of PPE relevant to their tasks 2, 17.
• Emergency Procedures: Training on what to do in case of spills, leaks, or other emergencies is essential 1, 16, 17.
• Site-Specific Information: Generic training should be supplemented with information specific to the garden center, including potential hazards and safety protocols [3].

Employers must ensure that workers can apply the training to protect their health and safety [2]. Training programs should be reviewed annually and updated as needed [2]. Retraining is necessary when changes in the workplace or inadequacies in an employee's knowledge are observed [3].