OAR 603-057-0135: Private Applicator Standards of Competence

(1) As provided in ORS 634.142, competence of a private applicator in the use or handling of pesticides shall be determined on the basis of a written examination and evidenced by the issuance of a certificate. (2) A private applicator certificate shall be valid for a period of up to five calendar years from its issuance and expire on December 31 of the fifth year. (3) An applicant for a private applicator's initial certificate or for a private applicator's renewal shall be required to successfully complete the written examination then in use for certification of private applicators. Successful completion of the written examination shall consist of correctly responding to at least 70 percent of the questions contained in the examination. (4) In lieu of the written re-examination requirement of section (3) of this rule, an applicant for renewal of a private applicator certificate may attend pesticide training sessions approved by the Department, totaling 16 hours of Department approved pesticide use related instruction, during the period preceding the expiration of his/her certificate as follows: (a) An individual shall be required to attend the core pesticide training session and accumulate twelve additional units of Department approved pesticide training; (b) Not more than eight units of Department approved pesticide training may be accumulated for recertification during a single 12-month period (January–December); (c) Credit for attending core pesticide training can only be obtained twice during the five year certification period. The second core pesticide training session attended will be credited toward the twelve additional units of Department approved pesticide training required for recertification; and (5) The core pesticide training required by section (4) of this rule shall consist of a total of at least 4 units of instruction (50–60 minutes of instruction per unit) on any one or more of the following topics: (a) Principles of Integrated Pest Management as defined in ORS 634.650; (b) Label Comprehension; (c) Calibration (math and equipment); (d) Methods to minimize pesticide drift and off-target deposition of pesticides, including nozzle selection, product formulation, product volatility, buffers and barriers, adjuvants, precision application technology, and environmental conditions (wind, inversion, temperature, etc.); (e) Pest resistance prevention; (f) Laws (environmental, endangered species, ground and surface water protection, worker protection standards (WPS), pesticide and pesticide container disposal); and (g) Personal Safety (including personal protective equipment (PPE)). (6) The submission of pesticide training sessions to the Department for approval, assignment of approved units of instruction and conditions relating thereto shall be done in accord with OAR 603-057-0150(2). (7) The Department shall make available to each holder of a private applicator certificate of the expiration date of his/her certificate, of his/her attendance of core training, and of the number of units of additional Department approved pesticide training accumulated toward renewal of the certificate. (8) The requirement for re-examination as specified in section (3) of this rule and the alternate procedure of attending Department approved pesticide training as specified in section (4) of this rule shall be waived if the applicant for a private applicators certificate renewal is a commercial applicator, noncommercial applicator, public applicator or consultant. Said waiver shall be in effect only for the period the applicant is a commercial applicator, noncommercial applicator, public applicator or consultant. Such waiver shall not affect the requirement for re-examination or the alternate procedure of OAR 603-057-0150 for commercial applicators, noncommercial applicators, public applicators or consultants specified elsewhere in these administrative rules. (9) The fee for a private applicator certificate shall be $25.