New Pesticide Applicator Certification and Training rules were enacted at the end of 2024. One that will catch many by surprise is the need to train supervised non-certified pesticide applicators. Before this, there were no formal training requirements, but now:
- Each non-Certified Applicator (nCA) must receive the approved training (by watching a video) every 12 months
- Supervisors of nCAs must maintain approved training records
- Each nCA must be at least 18 years old.
This rule affects all
commercial
pesticide applicators who supervise crew members applying pesticides. Private applicators who supervise handlers and workers already fall under a similar rule in the Worker Protection Standard, so the new nCA rule does not apply to them.
Approved training videos and recordkeeping templates are available in English and Spanish on the NCDA&CS Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division website.
nCA TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
Training for the nCA must be completed before their first application and renewed every 12 months. Under current EPA regulations, the certified or licensed pesticide applicator supervising an nCA has specific duties and responsibilities. The supervising applicator must:
- be certified in the category of supervision.
- able to verify that the nCA has met all of the eligibility requirements
- complete the required nCA records and ensure that these records are available for review for a period of at least three years from the date the non-certified applicator uses a pesticide
Training is NOT REQUIRED if the application:
- does not require a license
- is not for compensation
- is performed as part of your duties as an employee on your employer’s property.
