N.J. Admin. Code § 7:30-6.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 7:30-6.2 - Certification and training

(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.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:30-6.2

Amended by 52 N.J.R. 756(a), effective 4/6/2020