Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 40-21-3-.01 - Commerical Applicators
Every applicant for commercial applicator certification shall demonstrate a practical knowledge of the principles and practices of pest control and the safe use of pesticides based upon satisfactory passing of a written examination with a score of seventy (70) percent, and, as appropriate, performance testing. Such examination shall include the general standards of competency applicable to all categories and additional standards specific for each category or subcategory in which the applicant requests certification. Any particular examination may not be taken more than once in any month or more than twice in any six (6) month period. Records of examination scores on the General Standards and Category Standards shall be maintained by the Department of Agriculture for one (1) year from the date of first examination. If an applicant fails to pass both the General Standards Examination and at least one (1) Category Standards Examination within a one (1) year period, all test scores will be destroyed and applicant will be required to retake and pass both the General Standards Examination and the Category Standards Examination. To the extent that they are relevant to a given category, standards of competency may include:
(a) General Standards for
all Categories.
1. Label and Labeling
Comprehension:
(i) The general format and
terminology of pesticide labels and labeling;
(ii) The understanding of instructions,
warning, terms, symbols and other information commonly appearing on pesticide
labels;
(iii) Classification of the
product, general or restricted; and
(iv) Necessity for use consistent with the
label.
2. Safety-Factors
including:
(i) Pesticide toxicity and hazard
to man and common exposure routes;
(ii) Common types and causes of pesticide
accidents;
(iii) Precautions
necessary to guard against injury to applicators and other individuals in or
near treated areas;
(iv) Need for
and use of protective clothing and equipment;
(v) Symptoms of pesticide
poisoning;
(vi) First aid and other
procedures to be followed in case of a pesticide accident; and
(vii) Proper identification, storage,
transport, handling, mixing procedures and disposal methods for pesticides and
used pesticide containers, including precautions to be taken to prevent
children from having access to pesticides and pesticide containers.
3. Environment-The potential
environmental consequences of the use and misuse of pesticides as may be
influenced by such factors as;
(i) Weather
and other climatic conditions;
(ii)
Types of terrain, soil or other substrate;
(iii) Presence of fish, wildlife and other
nontarget organisms; and
(iv)
Drainage patterns.
4.
Pests-Factors such as:
(i) Common features of
pest organisms and characteristics of damage needed for pest
recognition;
(ii) Recognition of
relevant pests; and
(iii) Pest
development and biology as it may be relevant to problem identification and
control.
5.
Pesticides-Factors such as:
(i) Types of
pesticides;
(ii) types of
formulations;
(iii) Compatibility,
synergism, persistence and animal and plant toxicity of the
formulations;
(iv) Hazards and
residues associated with use;
(v)
Factors which influence effectiveness or lead to such problems as resistance to
pesticides; and
(vi) Dilution
procedures.
6.
Equipment-Factors including:
(i) Types of
equipment and advantages and limitations of each type; and
(ii) Uses, maintenance and
calibration.
7.
Application Techniques-Factors including:
(i)
Methods of procedure used to apply various formulations of pesticides,
solutions, and gases, together with a knowledge of which technique of
application to use in a given situation;
(ii) Relationship of discharge and placement
of pesticides to proper use, unnecessary use, and misuse; and
(iii) Prevention of drift and pesticide loss
into the environment.
8.
Laws and Regulations-Applicable State and Federal laws and regulations,
including the legal responsibility for supervision of uncertified
persons.
(b) Category
Specific Standards.
1. Agricultural Plant
Pest Control:
(i) Practical knowledge of:
(I) crops grown in operational
area;
(II) specific pests to be
controlled;
(III) soil and water
problems;
(IV) pre-harvest
intervals;
(V) reentry
intervals;
(VI)
phytotoxicity;
(VII) potential for
environmental contamination, non-target injury and community problems arising
from use of pesticides in agricultural areas.
2. Agricultural Animal Pest Control:
(i) Practical knowledge of:
(I) animals to be treated;
(II) specific pests to be
controlled;
(III) specific
pesticide toxicity and residue potential;
(IV) relative hazards associated with
formulation, application techniques, age of animals, stress and extent of
treatment.
3.
Forest Pest Control:
(i) Practical knowledge
of:
(I) forests, forest nurseries and forest
seed production;
(II) pests to be
controlled;
(III) cyclic occurrence
of certain pests;
(IV) specific
population dynamics as a basis for programming pesticides
applications;
(V) relative biotic
agents and their vulnerability to pesticides applied;
(VI) control methods which will minimize
unintended effects on wildlife;
(VII) proper use of specialized equipment as
it may relate to meteorological factors and adjacent land use.
4. Ornamental and Turf
Pest Control:
(i) Practical knowledge of:
(I) pesticide problems associated with
production and maintenance of ornamental trees, shrubs, plantings, and
turf;
(II) potential phytotoxicity
to a wide range of plant material;
(III) pesticide drift;
(IV) pesticide persistance beyond period of
pest control;
(V) application
methods which will minimize or prevent hazards to humans, pets and other
domestic animals.
5. Seed Treatment:
(i) Practical knowledge of:
(I) types of seeds commonly requiring
protection from pests in operational area;
(II) requirements for seed coloration and
special labeling;
(III) carriers
and surface active agents which influence pesticide binding and may affect
germination;
(IV) hazards
associated with handling, sorting and mixing;
(V) potential misuse of treated seed such as
introduction into food and feed channels;
(VI) proper methods for disposal of unused
treated seed.
6. Aquatic Pest Control:
(i) Practical knowledge of:
(I) various water use situations and
potential for downstream effects;
(II) secondary effects from improper
application rates, incorrect formulations and faulty application of
pesticides;
(III) potential effects
of pesticides on plants, fish, birds, beneficial insects and other organisms
present in aquatic environments;
(IV) principles of limited area
application.
7. Right-of-Way Pest Control:
(i) Practical knowledge of:
(I) a wide variety of environments including
waterways;
(II) problems arising
from runoff, drift, and excessive foliage destruction;
(III) target pests to be
controlled;
(IV) nature of
herbicides and need for their containment in area to which applied;
(V) impact of application on adjacent areas
and communities.
8. Industrial, Institutional, Structural and
Health Related Pest Control:
(i) Practical
knowledge of:
(I) wide variety of pests and
their life cycles;
(II) types of
formulations appropriate for their control;
(III) methods of application which will avoid
contamination of food, damage and contamination of habitat and exposure of
people, pets and other animals;
(IV) other factors such as continuous
exposure, which may lead to a hazardous condition for babies, children,
pregnant women and the elderly;
(V)
environmental conditions related to activities within this category.
9. Public Health Pest
Control:
(i) Practical knowledge of:
(I) vector-disease transmission as it relates
to and influences pesticide application:
(II) life cycles and habitats as a basis for
strategy in control of a wide variety of pests;
(III) wide variety of environments ranging
from enclosed structures to streams;
(IV) importance and use of non-chemical
methods such as sanitation, drainage and waste disposal.
10. Regulatory Pest Control:
(i) Practical knowledge of:
(I) applicable laws relating to quarantine
and regulations of pests;
(II)
regulated pests;
(III) potential
environmental impact of pesticides used in suppression and eradication
programs;
(IV) factors influencing
introduction, spread and population dynamics of relevant pests;
(V) variations among different geographic
areas which would permit valid individual judgments to be made in new
situations where emergency measures may be invoked to control regulated
pests.
11.
Demonstration and Research:
(i) This category
is considered to be an add-on and would require prior certification in one or
more of categories 1. through 10. of this section (b). Since this category
covers demonstration of the safe and effective use of pesticides to other
applicators and the public it would also require:
(I) knowledge of broad spectrum of pesticide
uses;
(II) pesticide-organism
interactions;
(III) knowledge of
importance of integrating non-chemical methods of pest control with pesticide
use.
12.
Aerial Methods:
(i) This category is
considered to be an add-on and would require prior certification in one or more
of categories 1. through 10. of this section (b). To be certified in this
category, applicant would be required to show proof of compliance with the
requirements of Title 14, CFR, Part 137 (Agriculture Aircraft Operations).
Applicant would also demonstrate by passing of a written examination a
practical knowledge of:
(I) aerial
application equipment including pesticide dispersal accessories, their
operation and calibration;
(II)
flight safety requirements for protection of the public including flight
patterns, swath marking, turnaround and obstructions;
(III) personal safety precautions necessary
for protection of pilot and ground personnel including flagmen and loading
personnel.
13. Mosquito Control:
(i) Practical Knowledge of:
(I) vector-disease transmission as it relates
to and influences pesticide application.
(II) life cycles and habitats as a basis for
strategy in control of mosquitoes.
(III) wide variety of breeding and habitat
environments ranging from outdoors to permanent and temporary bodies of
water.
(IV) importance and use of
non-chemical methods such as sanitation, drainage and waste disposal.
Notes
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
No prior version found.