Updated 7/9/09

• Licensing
• Recertification
• Farmworker Education

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Licensing

The purpose of the WSDA examination process is to ensure a minimum level of competency in individuals who apply pesticides and/or conduct structural pest inspections in our state. There are many things that employers can do or be aware of to help their employees be successful in this process.

• All WSDA exam sessions require a reservation and can be made by calling our toll-free line at 877-301-4555. The busier the season, the earlier you should call for a reservation. For further information, go to our Pesticide/Pest Inspector Licensing Fact Sheet.
• The first step in helping your employees prepare for the exam process is to correctly determine the exams that they need to take. This is based on the work they will be performing. WSDA's Pesticide/Pest Inspector Licensing Fact Sheet can help you with this determination. Once this is known, the corresponding study manuals should be obtained and studied. If employees do not study prior to taking exam(s), the likelihood of failure is very high. To order exam study manuals, contact the WSU Bulletins Office at 1-800-723-1763 or visit their website.
• Your employees should be prepared to pay for their license at the time of testing. This fee is good for the entire calendar year. There is no charge to retake exams or to add categories to an existing license. WSDA accepts cash, checks, and money orders payable to WSDA. Note: Public agency purchase orders are not accepted but state agencies may pay with a journal voucher (JV) crediting agency 495, fund 126.
• Scores will be mailed within 2-3 days of an in-office testing session and often with 24 hours. Under no circumstances, will scores be released over the telephone/fax machine, directly to a tester or to an applicant who has not paid his/her license fee.
• Picture identification is required at the time of testing.
• Allow 1 - 1 1/2 hours per exam.
• After a second, third, or fourth failure, there is a mandatory 14 day waiting period between exam retakes. After the fifth failure, applicants must wait 60 days before retesting.
• For directions and contact information for all of our office locations, go to our branch offices map.
• Parking at the Natural Resource Building where our Olympia office is located costs $ .50/hour. Testers should bring change for the parking meter.

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Recertification

The goal of WSDA's recertification program is to provide licensees with access to continuing education. This helps to ensure that their level of professional competency continues to rise thus increasing their value to you and your organization. Here are some tips for you to help ensure a positive recertification experience for your employee(s).

• A licensee's recertification period runs five years while pesticide licenses must be renewed annually. As soon as one five-year cycle is complete, a new 5-year cycle begins. A licensee may choose to accumulate the required number of WSDA approved credits or to retest every five years.
• You can search on open, WSDA accredited recertification courses by location, topic and language.
• For those employees who are required to maintain a pesticide license, WSDA recommends that you periodically check their recertification status.  Credit reports are available on-line through WSDA's license search page. Once you have found your employee's license record, click on the relevant license type to view their credit report.
• Instruct new employees to be sure to complete the WSDA roster when attending a recertification course. When completing WSDA attendance rosters, licensees should use the exact name and the license number found on their WSDA license. It is very difficult to assign credits when the name on the roster does not match any name found in WSDA records.
• Employers may want to consider sponsoring recertification courses for their employees or partnering with other employers to sponsor a joint program. This allows you to tailor the information to the needs of your employees.

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Farmworker Education

WSDA's Farmworker Education program is committed to ensuring the availability of Spanish language pesticide safety education for workers, handlers and applicators. Employers of Hispanic farmworkers are paramount to this effort and can continue to assist WSDA by considering the following tips.

• Sending your employee to a WSDA Spanish pre-license class does not guarantee that they will pass the Private Applicator exam. As with the English classes sponsored by WSU, participants must possess some basic skills and knowledge, including the ability to read and perform application calculations. Please do not send your employees to a Spanish language pre-license class unless they have obtained and studied the Private Applicator study manual.
• There is a tremendous need for Spanish language recertification courses. Please consider sponsoring a recertification course or working with other employers to jointly sponsor a course. WSDA can possibly help out with a presentation and/or provide you with a list of Spanish speaking trainers. Don't overlook the expertise you have on your own farm or in your community. WSDA can provide potential trainers with tips on conducting a recertification session. For further information, contact Ofelio Borges in Yakima at (509) 249-6939.
• Any unlicensed agricultural employee who handles pesticides, comes in contact with pesticide residues or who enters fields (including nurseries, greenhouses and tree farms) that have been treated in the last 30 days with a pesticide must receive pesticide safety training as prescribed in the state and federal Worker Protection Standards.

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