Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024
(a) In order to
become certified, an applicant for a commercial pesticide applicator license
who has never before been licensed or who has lost certification pursuant to
the requirements of
N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.5
or 6.6(b), shall pass a core examination, as well as a specific category
examination, which shall be written and, when deemed necessary by the
Department, may include performance testing. The examinations shall include,
but not be limited to, all areas of required knowledge set forth in Federal
regulations 40 CFR 171. The core examination shall include such areas as
pesticide handling and safety, environmental considerations, symptoms of
pesticide poisoning and current laws and regulations. The category or
subcategory examination shall include areas of required knowledge, that are
specific to the commercial category or subcategory in which the applicant has
applied to be certified.
1. The examination
shall be Department-approved and administered by the Department or a third
party approved by the Department.
2. The third party may charge a fee for
administering an examination.
3.
The Department will charge $ 100.00 for each examination that it
administers.
(b) The
applicant shall further fulfill the following training and certification
requirements:
1. To be eligible to take the
core examination, each applicant shall submit to the examination provider proof
of completion of a Department-approved basic training course, which shall
provide the pesticide applicator with a working knowledge, at a minimum, of the
following:
i. The proper use of application
equipment; ii. The potential hazards that may be involved in applying
pesticides;
iii. Instruction for
mixing pesticides to be used in particular circumstances;
iv. Protective clothing and safety equipment
required during the handling and application of pesticides;
v. General precautions to be followed in the
disposal of containers as well as the cleaning and decontamination of
equipment;
vi. Applicable State and
Federal pesticide laws and regulations;
vii. An understanding of how to correctly
interpret pesticide label and labeling information; and
viii. An understanding of the principles of
integrated pest management (IPM).
2. To be eligible to take a category
examination, each applicant shall complete a minimum of 40 hours of
"on-the-job" practical training sufficient to allow the applicant to
competently perform the functions associated with any pesticide applications in
which the applicant is expected to be involved.
i. The applicant shall be instructed on
recognition of pests, their biology and signs of infestation to ensure an
understanding of the pest(s) to be controlled.
ii. The applicant shall witness or perform at
least the minimum number of pesticide applications during the 40 hours of
"on-the-job" training in each of the following categories of work for which
they are trained:
Category of Work | Minimum Number of |
Applications |
Category 1A--Plant: | 5 |
Category 1B--Animals: | 2 |
Category 2--Forest pest control: | 2 |
Category 3A--Ornamental: | 15 |
Category 3B--Turf: | 15 |
Category 3C--Interior plantscaping: | 15 |
Category 4--Seed treatment: | 2 |
Category 5--Aquatic pest control: | 5 |
Category 6A--General vegetation
management: | 10 |
Category 6B--Right of Way: | 5 |
Catgory 7A--General and household pest
control: | 15 |
Category 7B--Termites and other wood destroying
pests: |
Category 7C--Fumigation pest control: | 2 |
Category 7D--Food manufacturing and
processing: | 5 |
Catgory 7E--Wood preserving pest
control: | 2 |
Category 7F--Antifoulants: | 2 |
Category 8A--General Public Health: | 15 |
Category 8B--Mosquito control: | 5 |
Category 8C--Campground pest control: | 5 |
Category 8D--Cooling water pest control: | 2 |
Category 8E--Sewer Root Control: | 2 |
Category 8F--Pet grooming: | 15 |
Category 9--Regulatory pest control: | 5 |
Category 11--Aerial Pest Control: | 10 |
Category 12A--Water Sanitization: | 10 |
Category 12B--Sterilization: | 15 |
iii.
Proof of such applications shall consist of the records of application signed
by both a responsible pesticide applicator and the applicant, or any other
Department approved record. Such records shall be kept for a minimum of three
years and shall be immediately available upon request by the
Department;
iv. Proof of the
required training shall be submitted with the application for
examination.
v. A responsible
certified and licensed pesticide applicator shall be present during any part of
the "on-the-job" training which requires the applicant to apply pesticides.
3. If "on-the-job"
training is unavailable for reasons deemed sufficient by the examination
provider, the applicant may do one of the following in lieu of (b)2 above:
i. Arrange for an internship to receive the
40 hours of "on-the-job" training from a Department-approved trainer, company
or school;
ii. Complete a
Department-approved category training course which covers pest biology, pest
identification, and signs of infestation to ensure an understanding of the
pest(s) to be controlled, and demonstrates techniques specific for that
category sufficient to meet the "on-the-job" training objectives; or
iii. Submit an affidavit to the examination
provider attesting to proof of one year of work experience in the category
desired. Such proof may consist of records of application or employment
records, such as an employer's written statement attesting to the applications
made during that employment. Such records shall be made available to the
Department upon request.
4. If the minimum of 40 hours of on-the-job
practical training or an internship of 40 hours is determined by the
examination provider to be unavailable, then the examination provider shall
waive (b)2 and 3 above and may instead accept completion of a
Department-approved correspondence course or online interactive computer course
to satisfy training requirements.
5. Proof of the training required in (b)1, 2,
3, or 4 above shall be submitted to the examination provider with the
application for examination.
6.
Certification categories 10 and 11 are exempt from the training requirements
above since training is required related to the specific category or
subcategory to be carried out under these categories. See
N.J.A.C. 7:30-6.3(a)10
and 11 for an explanation.
7. Certification category 11 requires
training in aerial pest control only and is exempt from the 40 hour training
requirements in the other categories. The 40 hours of training required in the
aerial category will serve as sufficient proof to file an application to take
any other category exam.
8.
Certification category 13 is exempt from the training requirements above since
any applicant requiring certification in this category will be required to pass
any category or subcategory which is related to the specific type of pest
control performed.
(c)
Certification in both core and a category or subcategory shall be obtained
within 12 months of the date of the first examination passed. Any person who
does not meet the requirements of this subsection shall lose all certification
and retake certification exams in accordance with the provisions of this
subchapter.
(d) Any person who is
assigned a certification examination date, and fails to be present on that
examination date without just cause, shall be subject to a $ 50.00 fee.
(e) Application for the
examination shall be submitted to the examination provider on a form approved
by the Department, along with proof of training, no later than midnight of the
closing date for the examination as determined by the examination provider.
1. The application form is available from the
Bureau of Licensing and Registrations website at
http://www.nj.gov/dep/enforcement/pcp/bpo.htm.
(f) After certification a
pesticide applicator who elects to add one or more categories or subcategories
to his or her certification shall be required to take only the category
examination for such category or subcategory, and shall file a separate
application with proof of training appropriate to that category.
(g) Since there is a partial overlap between
certain categories and/or subcategories, it shall not be necessary for an
applicator to become certified in certain additional categories or
subcategories provided:
1. The study manual
for the category or subcategory in which the applicator is actually certified
covers the particular type of pesticide application in question as
substantially as the manual for the category or subcategory in which the
applicator would, by definition, be making the application.
2. The applicator customarily does work in
the category or subcategory in which certified, with the type of application in
question being supplemental to and not the sole emphasis of the work. (Example:
An applicator mainly applies pesticides to forest trees for gypsy moth control
and is certified in Category 2, Forest Pest Control. The applicator will not
have to also be certified in Subcategory 3A, Ornamental Pest Control, when
applying pesticides for gypsy moth control to ornamental trees in residential
areas, since the manuals for both Category 2 and Subcategory 3A cover
application for gypsy moth control similarly.)
(h) The examination provider may waive
certification testing or may only require a "waiver" examination (a short
examination covering the pesticide regulations) for such categories as
12B-Sterilization, where the applicant already holds the recognized training
certificate, membership card, or license. The examination provider shall charge
the applicable fee for an examination, notwithstanding that it has waived all
or a portion of the certification testing. To become certified and licensed in
New Jersey through the examination waiver process, the following items must be
submitted to the examination provider:
1. A
completed "Application for Pesticide Applicator Certification Examination" with
the exam selection area left blank;
2. A copy of the certificate, membership card
or license issued by the school indicating that the course was successfully
completed; and
3. The completed
waiver examination answer sheet.
(i) Any examination, form, or required
training course or material used by a third party shall be approved by the
Department. Any such materials developed under an agreement with the Department
shall be considered Department-approved.