Types of Pesticide Applicator Training


Initial Certification Training for Private Pesticide Applicators


How do I get a Private Pesticide Applicator license in South Carolina?


A Private Applicator License in South Carolina is required for applicators who will be using Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs) in the production of an agricultural commodity (products from farms, nurseries, greenhouses and forests) on land that they, or their employers own, rent or lease."

To become licensed as a Private Applicator in the state of South Carolina, you must:

  1. Complete an approved Extension Pesticide Applicator Training Program;
  2. Pass a written Private Applicator Certification Exam.
  3. Mail a completed Application for South Carolina Private Pesticide Applicator's License and the appropriate licensing fee to the Department of Pesticide Regulation.
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What is a Private Pesticide Applicator Certification Training Program like?


An approved Extension Pesticide Applicator Training Program consists of:

  • 17 videotaped units of Core instruction on pesticides and pesticide applicator safety, requiring approximately eight (8) hours to complete, this is usually accomplished by a day-long program or a program covering two evenings;
  • A Pretest and Post-test, which are given at the beginning and at the end of the training and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training.

Units 1-12 coincide with the twelve chapters of the Core Manual, Applying Pesticides Correctly: A Guide for Private and Commercial Applicators (1992). In addition, there are 5 units on specific laws and regulations pertaining to pesticide use in South Carolina (Units 12a-12e): South Carolina Chemigation Act, Endangered Species Act, Pesticide Residue Removal for Container Reuse/ Recycle, USDA Recordkeeping and the EPA Worker Protection Standard.

There are 17 individual workbooks that go along with each of the 17 units presented on the video tapes. The 17 individual workbooks are not formal tests and are not graded. These workbooks are teaching aids to help the trainees master the subject matter presented in each unit. The workbooks must be completed and discussed one at a time immediately following the viewing of the corresponding unit on the video tape. Trainees may keep their copies of these workbooks.

A Pretest is given to each trainee at the beginning of each training session before any training begins. A Post-test is then given at the end of the training. These scores are not used to determine a trainee's passage or failure of the training and have no effect on whether the trainee receives a license. These scores will only be used by the Pesticide Information Program to evaluate the effectiveness of the training, to see if the trainees improved their knowledge of the safe use of pesticides. Trainees are not required to put their names on these "tests", rather they should be given a unique number so that the Pretests and Post-tests can be matched and scored in pairs and sent to the Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator in the Department of Entomology, Soils, & Plant Sciences at Clemson University.

A Training Evaluation will also be completed by each trainee at the end of each training session. A copy will be mailed back to the Pesticide Information Program along with the Pretests and Post-tests. The feedback received from these evaluations will help to plan future trainings.

Every person who completes an approved Extension Pesticide Applicator Training Program will be offered the opportunity to receive a certificate stating that they attended the training, whether or not they go on to take the Private Applicator Certification Exam.

Following every approved Extension Pesticide Applicator Training Program, a Private Applicator Certification Exam will be given as part of the Private Pesticide Applicator Training. Any trainee who wishes to take the Private Applicator Certification Exam may do so. Anyone wishing to become licensed as a Private Applicator in the state of South Carolina must take and pass this exam. These exams are graded by the Department of Pesticide Regulation, not the county Extension office. Private Applicator licenses are issued by the Department of Pesticide Regulation.

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What is the Private Applicator Certification Exam?


The Private Applicator Certification Exam is a short, multiple-choice exam consisting of 10 questions. The answers to these 10 questions can all be found in the sample label, which is part of the exam. In order to legally apply a pesticide, you must be able to read the pesticide label and follow the instructions on it.

This exam determines your ability to read and understand a Restricted Use Pesticide label. Therefore, you will be required to read the exam yourself. No one may read any part of the exam to you. You must correctly answer at least eight of the ten questions in order to pass.

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How do I sign up for Private Pesticide Applicator Certification Training?


To sign up for an approved Extension Pesticide Applicator Training Program, you can look on the Calendar of Statewide Private Applicator Initial Certification Trainings found on this web site. Many, but not all, of these trainings are posted on this site.

If you don't find one for you, call your local County Extension office and ask them for a time and location that will meet your needs. You will find a phone number for your local Extension Service Office by looking in the phone book under "Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service" or the "The Name of Your County", County of--, Clemson University Extension Service. You can also view a list of County Extension Pesticide Training Coordinators and their phone numbers on this web site.

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Recertification Training for All Certified Pesticide Applicators


What is pesticide applicator Recertification?


Recertification is a program of continuing education for pesticide applicators. Individuals who apply Restricted Use Pesticides must be certified to do so under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the South Carolina Pesticide Control Act of 1975. Amendments to FIFRA require that applicators receive continual training through recertification. Recertification training is conducted by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service and others. Recertification status is conferred by the Clemson University Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) which enforces FIFRA and the South Carolina Pesticide Control Act.

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How many recertification credits am I required to get in South Carolina?


The South Carolina Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program is administered in five year blocks of time. All certified applicators (commercial, noncommercial and private), regardless of when in the block they become licensed, are in a common recertification block that runs concurrent with all other applicators in the same class.

To become recertified in the state of South Carolina:

  • Private applicators are required to earn 5 continuing certification hours (CCHs) in each five year block. Private applicator blocks run from 2000-2004, 2005-2009, etc.
  • Commercial applicators and noncommercial applicators are required to earn 10 continuing certification hours (CCHs) in each five year block. Commercial and noncommercial blocks run from 1999-2003, 2004-2008, etc.
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How do I get Pesticide Applicator Recertification Training?


Continuing Certification Hours (CCHs) can be earned by attending Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) approved trainings, schools, grower meetings, etc. A listing of these accredited trainings can be found at the DPR web site under Applicator Credits, Recertification Opportunities.

  • It is the responsibility of the person conducting the training to obtain approval for their training in advance from DPR. The instructor must also maintain an attendance record to be sent to DPR following the training.
  • It is the responsibility of the pesticide applicators, themselves, to sign up for and attend the required number of hours of recertification training in order to receive license renewal. Pesticide applicators will receive notices periodically throughout the five year block from DPR reminding them of the number of credits they already have. If a pesticide applicator does not complete the required number of recertification training hours in a set five-year block, he or she will be required to start the licensing process over from the beginning.

Extension recertification trainings are also posted by date and county on the Calendar of Statewide Extension Recertification Trainings found on this web site. You must call your local County Extension office to sign up for any of these trainings. You will find a phone number for your local Extension Service Office by looking in the phone book under "Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service" or the "The Name of Your County", County of--, Clemson University Extension Service. You can also view a list of County Extension Pesticide Training Coordinators and their phone numbers on this web site.

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Is there Recertification credit reciprocity between states?


Pesticide Applicators can receive recertification credits for professional meetings or other types of trainings outside of South Carolina. These meetings/trainings must first be submitted to the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) for approval at least 30 days prior to the meeting. DPR will assign the appropriate number of certification credit hours (CCHs) to each meeting/training that is submitted. The number of credits assigned by DPR may differ from the number of credits assigned by the state sponsoring the event.

If you plan to attend an out-of-state meeting or training and want or expect to obtain recertification credits for your South Carolina pesticide applicator license, contact the organizer for the meeting or training and ask them to apply for recertification credits in South Carolina. To request recertification credits for a meeting/training outside the state of South Carolina, use the form found on the DPR web site. Click on Applicator Information and then Request Form for Continuing Certification Hours (CCH) Training. Individual training dates must be submitted to the Department of Pesticide Regulation, Mikki Gillespie Pirkle at the address found on the form. If you have questions, you may call Mikki Pirkle at (864)646-2150.

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Recertification Topics


Recertification credits are offered on the following topics:

  1. Calibration, Maintenance, and Residue Removal
  2. Environmental Fate of Pesticides
  3. Groundwater Protection
  4. Hazard Communication
  5. Integrated Pest Management
  6. Pesticide Label Interpretation
  7. MSDS for Pesticides
  8. New Technology and New Regulations
  9. Endangered Species and Wildlife Protection
  10. Pesticide Record keeping
  11. Reducing Pesticide Exposure (chronic/acute reduction and use of PPE)
  12. Safety Planning and Emergency Response
  13. Transport and Disposal of Pesticides and Rinsates
  14. Worker Safety
  15. Identification and Control of Target Pests
  16. Pesticide Related Issues
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