Juliana Moreno

Title: Development and Evaluation of a WISHA10 Cannabis Training Module

Abstract:

The legal cannabis industry in the United States has expanded rapidly, yet cannabis remains federally classified as a Schedule I substance, limiting federal oversight and leaving cannabis workers without industry-specific occupational health and safety guidance. In Washington state, existing agricultural trainings such as Washington State’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health WISHA10 for Agriculture cover some relevant hazards but do not fully address the unique risks of cannabis work, underscoring the need for tailored training and evaluation. This project included two phases. Phase I analyzed retrospective WISHA10 pre- and post-training assessments from 2018 – 2024 (N = 1337) to evaluate knowledge gains, and identify patterns by language, year, and item. Participants showed a statistically significant 12% overall improvement (p < 0.001) with Spanish-language participants demonstrating a significant 13% improvement in assessment scores (p < 0.001). Item-level patterns revealed meaningful gains and ceiling effects for high-baseline items. Phase II involved developing and pilot-testing a cannabis-specific module using stakeholder input and high-engagement instructional strategies. Knowledge gain was measured using pre- and post- assessments (N = 24) with item-level analysis guiding refinement. Analysis of the assessments overall showed a modest increase of 5% due to small sample size and high baseline knowledge, but several items tied to interactive activities improved notably. Ambiguous items were identified for revision. Findings support the feasibility and value of industry-specific, participatory training development. Future work should expand pilot testing, refine assessments, and modernize analysis to improve ongoing evaluation.