Rhode Island § 23-25-10 - Pesticide Control

§ 23-25-10. Applicator categories for certification — Standards.

(a) The director shall adopt applicator categories established by EPA by regulation and may establish additional categories and subcategories for certification necessary for the administration and enforcement of this chapter. Separate subcategories may be specified as to ground, aerial, or manual methods used to apply pesticides or to the use of pesticides to control insects, plant diseases, rodents, or weeds. Each category or subcategory shall be subject to separate testing procedures and requirements; provided, that no person shall be required to pay an additional fee if that person desires to be certified in more than one category or subcategory.

(b) The director, in promulgating regulations under this chapter, shall adopt or prescribe standards of competency for the certification of applicators which are at least equal to those established by EPA. Those standards may relate to the use and handling of pesticides or to the use and handling of the pesticide or class of pesticides covered by the individual’s certification and shall be relative to the hazards involved. In determining standards, the director shall consider the characteristics of the pesticide formulation such as: the acute dermal and inhalation toxicity; the persistence, mobility, and susceptibility to biological concentration; the use experience which may reflect an inherent misuse or an unexpected good safety record which does not always follow laboratory toxicological information; the relative hazards of patterns of use such as granular soil applications, ultra low volume of dust aerial applications, or air blast sprayer applications; and the extent of the intended use.