50 Minutes

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50 Minutes

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50 Minutes Brought to you byThe All
Certification Network
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CTAGThe Certification and Training Assessment
Group

• Now playing
• at a theatre near you !!
• Dolby Sound Full Screen Rated PG

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With Special Guest...

• Gina Davis

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The CTAG Mission

• To facilitate improvement in the national
  Pesticide Applicator Certification and Training
  Program.

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Five Goals

• Reduce risks to the public from pesticide use.
• Provide high quality pesticide education and
  safety training programs.
• Improve the certification and recertification
  programs and processes.
• Ensure adequacy and equity of funding.
• Improve the efficiency of program organization
  and operations.

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CT Plan and Reporting

• Web-based Template
• Facilitate updating plans
• Mechanism for annual reporting
• Plan components meet the requirements of FIFRA
  and 40CFR171
• Administration, authority, conformity,
  categories, examinations, supervision,
  reciprocity
• Reports exceeds FIFRA and 40CFR171
• Applicator totals, category totals, cycles,
  recertification, regulatory activities,
  participation, monitoring, enforcement related to
  certification

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85/15 Match Requirements

• EPA funding to state regulatory agencies for
  certification
• Replace 50/50 match requirement with a 85/15
  match requirement
• FIFRA change

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CTAG Board of Directors

• Kevin Keaney EPA-OPP Co-Chair
• Carol Ramsay Washington Co-Chair
• Carl Martin Arizona Vice-Chair
• Gina Davis Michigan Past-Chair
• Al Muench EPA Assistant Secretary
• Win Hock AAPSE Member
• Vacant CES Member
• Vacant TPPC Member
• Andrew Thostenson North Dakota Member
• Dr. Bill Tozier AFPMB Member
• Kathy Dictor North Carolina Member
• Jack Peterson Arizona Member
• Monte Johnson USDA Member
• Richard Pont EPA-OPP Member
• Jeanneanne Gettle EPA Region Member

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Communication Efforts

• Pesticide in the 21st Century
• Progress Reports
• Annual Reports
• PREP Course
• Presentations at national and regional meetings
• AAPCO, AAPSE, POM Updates

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http//pep.wsu.edu/ctag
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The CTAG Process for Issue Development

• Issues may be brought before the Board by a Board
  member, a CTAG partner or stakeholder.
• Issue must be sufficiently developed to address
  the significance of the issue and describe the
  problem to be avoided or solved.
• The Board will prioritize all issues
• May result in fast-tracking some issues or
  putting an issue on hold.

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The CTAG Process for Issue Development

• Generally, an issue will result in a project, or
  a guidance document, concept document, or
  regulatory issue paper.
• The issue will be assigned to a workgroup.
• The workgroup will develop a document through
  meetings, conference calls, and/or email
  discussions.

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The CTAG Process for Issue Development

• Following development of a draft document
• ? Board Review - resulting in approval of the
  draft or returning to the workgroup for further
  work.
• Once approved by the Board, CTAG will circulate
  the draft to partners via the AAPCO, ASPCRO,
  AAPSE, PSEP, and TPPC listservs and will solicit
  comments within a prescribed period of time. The
  draft document and request for comments will also
  be posted on the CTAG web site.

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The CTAG Process for Issue Development

• The workgroup will collect and evaluate partner
  comments and make necessary revisions.
• ?Board for approval.
• For approved guidance documents, the process
  will end here, since they are dynamic and can be
  easily edited and updated.
• The process of partner and stakeholder review and
  comment will be repeated as necessary.

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The CTAG Process for Issue Development

• Following final approval by the Board, CTAG will
  work with EPA and other appropriate agencies, as
  necessary, to facilitate formal consideration of
  the document and begin the process to move toward
  regulatory change.
• CTAG will track activities from the point of
  initial Board approval to consider a
  project/issue through its development stages
  until it is finalized or implemented.

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Minimum Age Requirements

• United States Department of Labor Rules
• 29 CFR Part 570.71
• Prohibits the employment in agriculture of
  children below the age of 16 if the job
  encompasses handling or applying agri-chemicals
  with signal words Poison, Skull and
  Crossbones and Warning
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• Sets forth minimum age requirements for children
  under the age of 17 working in agriculture.

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Minimum Age

• Minimum age recommendation for a certified
  applicator ...
• 18 commercial legal adult
• 17 private (16 if you can breakout Tox. Cat. 1)
• Ability to supervise others
• Ability of law enforcement to approach and deal
  directly with certified applicator
• Ability to deal with hardships
• Consistent with DOL current regulations

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Closed Book Exams

• Written, closed-book examination for private and
  commercial applicators.
• Closed-book only calculator from outside.
  Necessary exam reference material will be
  provided as part of the examination process.
• Supplying reference materials for information
  that should be committed to memory, such as the
  core knowledge requirements, would be
  inappropriate.

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Positive Identification for Exams, Training, and
RUP Purchases

• Advantages
• Cause little inconvenience for the proctor
• Minimal costs incurred
• Minimal effort for retail dealers to confirm
  buyers identity

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Positive Identification for Exams, Training, and
RUP Purchases

• Limitations
• Some religious groups prohibit pictures (two
  forms of non-photo id would then be required).
• Large group meetings may require additional
  staff.
• Internet and telephone sales

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Tiered Classification of Pesticides
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Tiered Classification

• Product Classification
• Toxicity, security, site sensitivity, type of
  user, education safety training required
• User Type
• Occupational, domestic
• Training/Examination Required
• Training only
• Examination core, category, product-specific

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Exam Security Manual

• Exam oversight and controls
• Pre-registration, scheduling exams, fees,
• Retakes,
• Disqualification, prohibitions
• Exam environment
• Proctoring and cheating
• Grading
• Notification and/or certification
• Personnel

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Additional CTAG Activities

• PSEP Long-Term Funding
• Integrate WPS Training Requirements
• Remote Testing
• Continued discussion on Exam Blueprints
• National database of applicators with revoked
  credentials
• 2003 Progress Report

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Questions ??
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50 Minutes Brought to you byThe All
Certification Network