PMEP Home Page Pesticide Applicator Certification General Instructions and Information

INSTRUCTIONS FOR

Sponsors of Pesticide Applicator Recertification Courses

August 2005

The following procedures are to be followed by recertification training course sponsors to obtain course approval and assigned recertification credits from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Department).

ADVANCE NOTICE

Current regulations (6 NYCRR 325.18) require that pesticide applicator training courses be approved by the Department prior to the course being offered. No retroactive approvals are permitted. Applications for pesticide applicator training courses must be complete and must be submitted at least 45 days prior to the commencement of the course to allow sufficient time for review, approval, and return of course approval documents to the sponsor. Course applications received less than 45 days before the course date will NOT be approved. Course applications are processed on a first in/first out basis. Plan accordingly if you need credit information in advance for course announcements.

SUBMITTING FOR APPROVAL

The course sponsor must submit the training course application Parts A and B [44-10-6] to the NYSDEC, Bureau of Pesticides Management, Pesticide Reporting & Certification Section, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-7254. The request for course approval must include:

• A fully completed Certified Pesticide Applicator Training Course Application.
  Note: Part B must be completed for each instructor.
  
• A detailed course description with time of training in each subject. Applications without adequate subject detail will be returned.
  
• A program agenda that includes start/stop times in clock hours for all topics and breaks.
  The start and stop times (e.g. 10:00-10:30) for each subject or speaker as well as any breaks or meals must be shown. A maximum of 7.0 hours of training per day will be approved for a recertification course. Minimum break periods of 15 minutes for every three hours of continuous training must be included. If the course or activity involves a tour, you must provide an itinerary which includes travel stops and times.
  
• A description of the methods used to ensure that only attendees who sit for a course receive a course certificate and that the certificate awards credit only for the time the attendee actually sat in the course.
  
• Copies of all materials to be handed out at the course, if requested by the Department.
  
• A draft copy of the course announcement if one is to be sent to prospective attendees. The announcement should not imply in any way that the Department is a course sponsor.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed and will be returned to the course sponsor.
CRITERIA USED FOR EVALUATING COURSE OFFERINGS

Applications for pesticide recertification courses submitted for credits will be evaluated on the basis of subject matter presented and time devoted to the topic. In general, discussions relating to almost any aspect of pest control may be considered for approval of credits. Credits are assigned to specific categories or subcategories of certification or as Core credits, depending on the topic. Examples of acceptable topics include the following:

• Integrated Pest Management
  
• Pesticide labels and labeling
  
• Pesticide safety/Pesticide first aid
• Effects of pesticides on the environment
  
• Environmental factors affecting pesticide use and performance
  
• Characteristics of pests, biology, symptoms of pest infestation, and damage
  
• Pesticide products
  
• Pesticide application equipment, techniques, and calibration
• Pesticide laws and regulations
  
• Farm Worker Safety (WPS)
  
• Biological controls/Non-chemical controls

• Business management
  
• Marketing techniques
  
• Public relations
  
• Sales pitches or sales presentations containing no significant technical information on pesticide products, pests, application equipment or techniques.

APPROVAL PROCESS

The course outline and instructor qualifications will be reviewed by the Pesticide Reporting & Certification Section and appropriate credits will be assigned. The course sponsor will receive a Notice of Course Approval listing the approved categories and credits. Credits will be assigned on a basis of 1.0 credit per hour of actual course instruction time. Up to 7.0 recertification credits per day are allowed. One NYSDEC course number will be assigned for each course. Multi-day courses will be assigned a course number for each day. Programs offering concurrent or breakout sessions will have course numbers and credits assigned for each session. This course number is to be listed on the course certificate which is issued to candidates attending the course for recertification credits. Note: the course ID number issued for the approved course is to be used only for the specific date, time and place specified on the course application. The course ID number may not be re-used by the sponsor for a future offering of the course.

COURSE SPONSOR RESPONSIBILITIES

At the training session, the sponsor must require all Certified Pesticide Applicators in attendance to record their Certification ID number and print and sign their name on the Recertification Training Roster [44-14-2]. All original rosters for each day of training must be submitted to the Pesticide Reporting & Certification Section within 21 days of course completion. Failure to follow this procedure may result in rejection of training certificates issued at the course. The sponsor must keep a copy of these records on file for a minimum of 5 years.

The course sponsor must only issue one original course certificate to course attendees completing the full length of training. However, a separate certificate is to be issued, for each day or session assigned a course number, to certified applicators in attendance.

• name and Certification ID Number of certified applicator;
  
• name, place and date of the training course;
  
• NYSDEC Recertification Course ID Number as assigned for the course by the Pesticide Reporting & Certification Section;
  
• number of credits assigned to each category/subcategory (or Core) for the course; and
  
• signature of the sponsor, in color ink.

The certificate must be designed in a way as to deter counterfeiting, which may include the use of watermarks, seals, or other printing security methods. At a minimum, the certificate must be in at least two color inks in order to deter mechanical duplication. For example, the signature may be in an ink color different from the rest of the document or the letterhead may be in a color other than black. The sponsor must send in a sample original course certificate to the Pesticide Reporting & Certification Section within 5 days after the course approval is received.

The sponsor should remind candidates attending the course for recertification credits that they must submit their original certificate of proof of attendance to the Department at the time the individual applies for recertification and that the Department will keep the original certificate.

Appropriate controls must be used to ensure that only attendees who sit for a course receive a certificate and that the certificate awards credit only for the time the attendee actually sat in the course. The course sponsor must describe the methods used to ensure this requirement is met. Include as an attachment to the course application.
Pesticide certification eligibility courses may be re-approved without submitting a complete course application if the course content and instructors are identical to the original course as approved. The course sponsor must notify the Pesticide Reporting & Certification Section at least 48 hours prior to the start of each offering of an approved recertification course as required under section 325.21(c). Prior notification must include dates, program agenda (with start/stop times for agenda item and breaks) and specific location. Failure to comply with Section 325.21(c) will result in the revocation of this course approval.

The sponsor of a pesticide recertification course plays a key role in ensuring the integrity of the certification training process. In addition to the responsibilities outlined above, the course sponsor must submit any required or requested information to DEC within the requested timeframes and immediately notify DEC of any proposed changes to the approved course content, structure, time, date, and/or location.

Failure to follow the instructions may result in disapproval of future course applications for the sponsoring organization, and the Department's rejection of training certificates issued at the course.

MONITORING OF CERTIFICATION TRAINING COURSES

The Department's pesticide staff routinely monitor pesticide certification training courses for course content, time allocated to topics, etc. As a condition of course approval, sponsors must grant access for Department pesticide staff to monitor any approved course and waive registration fees for Department monitors. If the actual course is found to deviate significantly from the approved course, the pesticide staff person may change the assigned credits, as appropriate, to reflect the deviation or invalidate the course if necessary.

The Cornell University Pesticide Management Education Program Website contains a Recertification Course Calendar at http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/calendar/. Approved recertification course data is posted on this website.

(August 2005)

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For more information relative to pesticides and their use, please contact the PMEP staff at:	5123 Comstock Hall Cornell University Ithaca, New York 14853-0901 (607)-255-1866
Last Modified: 8/1/2005 Questions regarding the development of this web site should be directed to the PMEP Webmaster.
© 2005 Cornell University

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