CTAG Progress Report - January 2002
Introduction to the Certification & Training Program
Protecting the public and the environment through the safe and effective use of pesticides is the underlying purpose of the pesticide applicator certification and training (C&T) program. With the 1972 amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was given the authority to restrict the use of pesticides used by certified applicators (or under their supervision). The determination of competency was delegated to pesticide state lead agencies (SLAs). Pesticide applicator training was delegated primarily to state cooperative extension service (CES) and is also performed by other entities.
There are approximately 1.2 million applicators in the U.S. who have received certification to use Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs) on farms by air and ground equipment, in greenhouses, nurseries, golf courses, industrial plants, food production facilities, hospitals, homes, restaurants, businesses --- just to name a few. Additionally, many states require certification to use General Use or Unclassified pesticides in specialized areas. Since the early 1970s, the reality of the national C&T program has evolved to address such issues as: the need for specialized chemical-specific training, the protection of sensitive populations, increased public concern over pesticide use, agricultural/urban interface, a growing Spanish-speaking applicator workforce and pesticide use in schools.
Establishment of the Certification
& Training Assessment Group
History
The Certification & Training Assessment Group (CTAG) is a consortium of professionals to promote the safe and effective use of pesticides through education, testing and licensing, and enforcement. CTAG was formed in 1997 based on a request by the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators (AAPSE) to undertake an in-depth study of the pesticide applicator C&T program. The mission of the group was to look at where the program had been, where it should go, determine the needs, develop a consensus for change and explore changes.
The original CTAG consisted of a body of directors and four teams in the following program areas: content, infrastructure and delivery, evaluation and funding. After collecting information from SLA and CES on their programs, each team developed goals and recommendations in each area. The goals were: 1) reduce the risks to the public from pesticide use; 2) provide high quality pesticide education and safety training programs; 3) maintain the consistency, integrity and validity of the certification and recertification programs and processes; 4) ensure that adequate and equitable funding is available to pesticide safety education, training and certification programs and 5) improve the efficiency of program organization and operations.
A January 1999 draft report entitled “Pesticide Safety for the 21st Century
— The Findings and Proposals of the Certification & Training Assessment
Group” was distributed for stakeholder review and comment. Comments were
received from SLA certification managers, CES pesticide applicator training
coordinators, state pest control associations, private training companies, state
farm bureaus, state agri-business associations, chemical companies, agricultural
retailers, agricultural aviators, railroad companies, nurseries, state berry
growers, and Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). Proposals
were also discussed during the 1999 National Pesticide Applicator Training and
Certification Workshop, a 1999 Pesticide Regulatory Education Program (PREP)
course, and AAPCO/SFIREG and AAPSE meetings.
New CTAG Board in 2001
In August 2001, representatives from
EPA, USDA, SLA and CES came together to review the CTAG effort. As a result
of the meeting, CTAG was restructured thereby creating an official CTAG Board.
Board members, including chairs and vice chairs, serve overlapping two and three
year terms. It was also determined that CTAG workgroups would be established
by the Board, as needed, to work on specific tasks. A CTAG charter was developed
to formalize the roles and responsibilities of the CTAG Board. This group will:
determine the current status and future direction of the program; create and
coordinate workgroups, provide updates on accomplishments, and maintain a communications
network with partners. Two workgroups were formed to focus activities on specific
projects. The charge of the first workgroup is to determine the components of
a C&T plan that meet the requirements of FIFRA and the elements of a C&T
program that go beyond FIFRA requirements. The second workgroup is tasked with
looking at how the pesticide handler portion of the WPS program can be incorporated
into the current C&T program, as well as to provide EPA with a plan for
a comprehensive pesticide safety program, for all persons who sell, mix, load,
apply or recommend the use of pesticides, that will demonstrate competency,
mitigate risk and improve pesticide security through appropriate education,
training and testing. For more information, refer to the CTAG web page http://pep.wsu.edu/ctag
which is under development by Carol Ramsay.
Activities and Accomplishments to Date
Exam Development
Several activities related to exam development were carried-out in support of Goal 3 - maintain the consistency, integrity and validity of the certification and recertification programs and processes.
---Software Assessment
In 2000, a CTAG Technical Review Committee provided their evaluation of commercially
available Certification Exam Development Software to the states, tribes and
territories. Each product was evaluated on: compatibility with equipment, capacity
to store large item banks, user-friendly, use on networks, scoring and grading
capabilities, cost, security, graphics, technical support and ability to scramble
questions. Committee members were: Carl Rew (IN.), Carl Martin (AZ.), Randy
Rivera (TX.), John Snodgrass (TX.), Gary Fish (ME.) and Jeanne Heying (EPA).
Copies of the evaluation are available through Jeanne Heying (telephone 703-305-7666.)
---Workshops/Sessions
on Exam Development Process
EPA sponsored two workshops for SLA and CES partners on "Creating a Professionally
Sound and Legally Defensible Pesticide Credentialing Exam." The three day
workshops were held in April 1999 and May 2000 and focused on the process used
to develop a pesticide applicator exam that will give results that are reliable,
consistent over time, valid and legally defensible. Representatives (at least
one state regulatory and/or pesticide educator) of 42 states, 3 territories,
Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, EPA Regions (7 & 8) and USDA
participated in the two workshops. Carl Rew (IN.) was instrumental in the planning
of, and instruction during, the workshops.
---Core Exam Project:
EPA and Canada’s PMRA are in the process of collaborating on a pesticide
applicator core exam project. The outcome of the project will be a professionally
developed exam of core knowledge principles for all first time candidates to
become pesticide applicators. A committee of pesticide applicators and volunteers
have approved a job analysis and written “items” or questions. Apart
from the exam committee, items were written with the help of: Colleen Hudak/N.C.,
Carl Martin/AZ., Paul Baker/AZ., Sherman Takatori/ID., Ivan Sanderson/UT., Richard
Beard/UT., Diana Roll/OH., Ruth Marston/MN., Derrick Lastinger/GA., Jessica
Dewey/USDA-APHIS and from Canada - Terry Waddell, Susan Kelner and Sandra Shiels.
Lead agencies and provincial governments are in the process of field testing
items. Field testing is being conducted with the help of the following lead
agencies in the U.S.: Gina Davis/MI., Liz Braxton and Norm Nesheim/FL., Sherman
Takatori/N.D., Mac Takeda/CA., Randy Rivera and John Snodgrass/TX., Diana Roll/OH.,
Rick Hansen and Ruth Marston/MN., Dave Scott/PA., Andrew Thostensen/N.D., Linda
Schmidt/CT., Sandy Wells/OK., John Scott/CO., Derrick Lastinger/GA., Jeff Goode/AR.,
Ivan Sanderson/UT., Gerald Kirbach/IL. Completed core exams are expected to
be available to lead agencies and provincial governments in late 2002. Copies
of the job analysis are available through Jeanne Heying/EPA (telephone 703-305-7666.)
Cooperation
---Pesticide Safety
Education Center
One of the CTAG proposals was to enhance pesticide safety education in part
by strengthening the skills of pesticide safety trainers. In 2001, two pilot
Pesticide Safety Education Center (PSEC) courses were held for county agents
and field inspectors. The courses focused mainly on how to engage the audience
and use hands-on education tools. The course was funded by the North Carolina
Environmental Trust Fund and was attended by representatives from Florida, Louisiana,
North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Additional courses are planned
for March and October 2002. This project was made possible with the help of:
Barry Brennan/HI., Julie Haigler and Colleen Hudak/N.C., Wayne Buhler and Bob
McRracken/N.C., Bob Bellinger/S.C., Natalia Clifton/MA., Mary Grodner/LA., Pat
Hipkins and Mike Weaver/VA., Win Hock/PA., Norm Nesheim/FL., Pat O’Connor-Marer/CA.,
Sherman Takatori/ID., Ed Vitzthum/NE., Melanie Zavala/CA, Kerry Richards/PA.,
Monte Johnson/USDA, John Impson/USDA (retired) and EPA - Jeanne Heying, Richard
Pont, Kevin Keaney and EPA Region 4.
---Web Site on Educational
Resources:
Resource sharing among educators and regulators saves monetary resources expended
on development and delivery. During 2001, a new web site was launched as a sharing
platform for educators and regulators. The web site, http://pep.wsu.edu/psp
lists materials developed or being drafted, format, dates and contact information.
In order to get the most out of this resource, educators and regulators are
asked to keep the web site current by continuously entering information on resources
developed. If you qualify and don’t already have a login password, contact
Jeanne Heying at EPA. Credit goes to Carol Ramsay/WA. for making it happen.
---Workshops for Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP):
EPA/OPP decisions on the classification or reclassification of pesticide uses
impact pesticide safety education and regulatory programs. To improve EPA’s
understanding of these ramifications, lead agencies and pesticide safety educators
have voluntarily provided their time to interact with OPP staff. Workshops were
held in 2000, 2001 and expect to be held again in 2002. Presenters have included:
Ed Crow/MD., Rick Hansen/MN., Carol Ramsay/WA., Randy Rivera/TX., Suzanne Deatherage/TX.,
Larry Olsen/MI., Drew Martin/IN. and Fred Whitford/IN.
---PREP Course:
Pesticide Regulatory Education Programs (PREP) are courses designed to provide
practical, up-to-date information on technical, policy and management related
issues for state, tribal, territorial and federal partners. The goals of this
national program are to strengthen partner capabilities to address current and
evolving issues and continue to improve cooperation among partners. Planning
is now underway for an April 2002 PREP course on CTAG activities. For more information
on PREP, consult: http://www.prep-gov.net
---USDA Efforts:
Monte Johnson, USDA’s National Program Leader, renamed the program from
Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) to Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP)
to reflect that the coordinators and staff in the Cooperative Extension Service
at Land Grant Universities serve not only pesticide applicators, but the public,
master gardeners, technicians, professional associations and others. The Performance
Planning and Reporting System (PPRS) is a web-based reporting system for the
PSEP coordinators that was initiated in 2001. The Plans of Work and Annual Reports
from PPRS will be used to justify funding for the program and provide data to
enhance the program’s visibility and credibility. Also, USDA is forming
committees to review PPRS and address possible changes to the funding formula.
For more information, contact Monte (telephone 202-401-1121) or visit: http://www.reeusda.gov/pas/programs/pat/coverpas.htmCTAG
2001
---(#1) Workgroup
on C&T Plans:
The State Plan CTAG workgroup, led by Carol Ramsay/WA. and Debborah Danford/TX.
met in December 2001 to review and continue progress on tasks related to improving
FIFRA C&T programs. Substantial progress was made on the development of
a draft C&T state plan template which will facilitate the collection, maintenance
and review of required state plan components, applicator number reporting requirements,
reciprocity agreements and access to additional program information. The template
will be further developed with the help of program partners during the April
2002 PREP course. Three white (or “issue”) papers were developed to
address current impediments in FIFRA and its corresponding rules (40 CFR Part
171). These issues include: 1) Requiring Minimum Age Requirements for Approval
of State Certification Programs; 2) Requiring Written Examinations for Approval
of State Certification Programs and 3) Eliminating 50/50 Grant Funding Match
Requirements for C & T Programs.
---(#2) Workgroup
on Program Integration:
The second workgroup, led by Carl Martin/AZ. and Pat O’Connor-Marer/CA.
met January 15 - 16, 2002 in Alexandria, Virginia. The workgroup is now drafting
proposals on measures that could be taken throughout the lifetime of a pesticide
product that would increase security of pesticides and application equipment.
Future Efforts
As is demonstrated in the 1999 “Pesticide Safety for the 21st Century — The Findings and Proposals of the Certification & Training Assessment Group,” the universe of issues, concerns and possibilities in the C&T program continue to change and evolve over time. While the fundamental needs of the program are being addressed, new areas to be addressed are continually rising to the top and the “wish list” always remains. Fortunately, there are many lead agency and safety education partners willing to contribute time, energy and enthusiasm for the good of the program and its role in our society.
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