1 / 18

Pesticide Safety for the 21st Century:

Pesticide Safety for the 21st Century:. Proposed Changes to Pesticide Education & Safety Training and Applicator Certification Programs. Certification and Training Assessment Group January 1999. CTAG Review. Certification & Training Advisory Group (CTAG) established in 1996 to:

johnhickman
Download Presentation

Pesticide Safety for the 21st Century:

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Pesticide Safety for the 21st Century: Proposed Changes to Pesticide Education & Safety Training and Applicator Certification Programs Certification and Training Assessment Group January 1999

  2. CTAG Review • Certification & Training Advisory Group (CTAG) established in 1996 to: • Review previous program evaluations • Explore proposals • Determine changing needs of C&T programs • Provide direction for future of the pesticide applicator C&T program.

  3. CTAG Members • CTAG members represent: • EPA • USDA, CES • Pesticide State Lead Agencies • Tribes • Armed Forces Pest Management Board • AAPCO • ASPCRO • AAPSE

  4. Proposed Changes • Changes being proposed to: • FIFRA • Regulations (40 CFR 171) • EPA and USDA activities • Activities in conjunction with states, tribes, and territories. • Significant long-term changes may also require changes to state, tribe, and territorial laws and regulations

  5. Proposed Changes (cont’d.) • Preliminary Report and Executive Summary issued in January 1999 (available at http://aapse.ext.vt.edu) • Changes proposed in five goal areas • Proposals requiring difficult or long-term changes and extensive dialogue and feedback with stakeholders are marked with an arrow ()

  6. Five Goals 1. Reduce risks to the public from pesticide use. 2. Provide high quality pesticide education and safety training programs. 3. Improve the certification and recertification programs and processes. 4. Ensure adequacy and equity of funding. 5. Improve the efficiency of program organization and operations.

  7. Goal 1: Reduce Risks to the Public • Initiate a National Consumer Education Program • Expand regulatory scope of pesticide applicator C&T program. Cover all pesticide applicators who apply pesticides as part of occupational responsibilities

  8. Goal 1 (cont’d.) • Integrate WPS training requirements with new applicator training program • Consider a tiered classification, e.g.: • consumer/homeowner use products • general pesticides for occupational use • restricted use pesticides • restricted, “prescription use” products • Change name of C&T program (e.g., PESTAC Program)

  9. Goal 2: High QualityEducation & Training • Update core training requirements, establish national model curriculum • Coordinate development and review of training materials

  10. Goal 2 (cont’d.) • Improve skills of trainers/educators • Establish network of subject matter experts • Develop training materials in electronic, modular formats • Establish national Web site directory of training materials

  11. Goal 3: Improve Certification & Recertification Programs • Establish prerequisites for certification • Require continuing education program • Require written exam for all applicators • Require use of validation process for all exams • Facilitate reciprocity agreements

  12. Goal 3 (cont’d.) • Establish national 5-year maximum recertification period • Upgrade content of certification exam • Update exams along with materials • Establish exam database

  13. Goal 3 (cont.d) • Fund the purchase of electronic grading machines • Maintain information on licensing software • Develop or improve Web pages • Share policies and experiences on ADA

  14. Goal 4: Ensure Adequate, Equitable Funding • Change federal funding formula for SLAs • Change federal funding formula for CES • Assess pesticide registration fee to help cover program costs • Explore non-traditional sources of funding • Provide USDA funding for CES program offices

  15. Goal 4 (cont’d.) • Provide information on use of EPA regional discretionary funds • Use common definition of “certified applicators” • Share information on sources of supplemental funding

  16. Goal 5: Improve Program Efficiency • Develop national tool to measure and evaluate program success • Improve capabilities for assessing program effectiveness

  17. Goal 5 (cont’d.) • Improve program cooperation among implementing agencies • Fund pilot projects that explore innovative evaluation tools • Encourage monitoring of training programs • Require annual review of state plans • Effectively market the C&T program and promote accomplishments

  18. Next Steps • Input from stakeholders sought • Report and executive summary are available at http://aapse.ext.vt.edu • Comments welcomed through April 2, 1999: heying.jeanne@epa.gov • Final report to be presented at the National Pesticide Applicator Training Conference, August 1999, Portland, Maine

More Related