(a) A technician is a person who has qualified for
and been issued a technician's license pursuant to the provisions
of §7.132 of this chapter (relating to Requirements for Apprentice
Registration) and whose training and supervision is the responsibility
of the responsible certified applicator, and who works under the direct
supervision of licensed certified applicators.
(b) A certified applicator registered with the business
must be physically present to give verbal instructions to a technician
at least one (1) day a week and available during operating hours for
questions and instructions as needed.
(c) To add a category to a technician's license, a
technician must complete eight (8) hours of classroom hours training
and forty (40) hours of on-the-job training prior to taking that category's
exam. The training must be recorded on the verifiable training record
form prescribed by the department.
(d) The department shall require as a condition of
the renewal of each commercial or noncommercial technician's license
that the responsible certified applicator must certify on the verifiable
training records form that the technician has completed eight (8)
hours of verifiable training in the calendar year preceding the calendar
year in which the renewal is to take place. No additional training
will be required in the first calendar year in which a technician
is first licensed. Changing employers or moving to an inactive status
does not eliminate, defer or extend the verifiable training requirement.
(1) The eight (8) hours of verifiable training must
be selected from the following general standard subject areas:
(A) Federal and state laws regulating structural pest
control and pesticide application;
(B) Recognition of pest and pest damage;
(C) Pesticide labels and label comprehension;
(D) Pesticide safety;
(E) Environmental protection;
(F) Application equipment and techniques;
(G) Pesticide formulations and actions;
(H) Emergency procedures and pesticide cleanup, and
procedures for the immediate reporting of spills and misapplications;
(I) Basic principles of mathematics, chemistry, toxicology,
and entomology; or
(J) Non-chemical pest control techniques including
biological, mechanical, and integrated pest management techniques.
(2) Two (2) hours of the eight (8) hours of training
may be on-the-job training or hands-on-training verified by the responsible
certified applicator.
(3) Self-study training may be used if the responsible
certified applicator certifies that the training is the appropriate
training. Inactive technicians may only use self-study training every
other year to satisfy their annual training requirement.
(4) A technician will receive one (1) hour of credit
for each department-approved CEU course completed.
(5) No courses may be repeated for credit within the
same re-certification year.
(e) All verifiable training records and certification
for each technician must be maintained in the business files for two
(2) calendar years after the calendar year in which the training or
certification was completed.
(f) The verifiable training records forms must be made
available to the licensee within twenty (20) days of written request
to a current or former employer.
(g) The business licensee, responsible certified commercial
applicator, or certified noncommercial applicator shall be responsible
for the proper certification and maintenance of employee training
records in accordance with this subchapter.
(h) Technicians unable to certify their required training
at renewal or during inspection will have twenty (20) days to submit
the verifiable training records for training previously obtained prior
to the initiation of enforcement proceedings.
(i) Upon written request, the Commissioner may grant
a hardship extension for completion of training requirements due to
extenuating circumstances. The length of the extension is at the discretion
of the Commissioner. All requests are subject to review and may require
additional documentation.
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