Safe use of pesticides
Professional people who use pesticides must be competent to use them safely. There are many situations where this qualification is a legal requirement, for instance where pesticides are being applied to land belonging to a third party.
The certificate of competence in the Safe use of Pesticides meets the requirements of:
- Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) 1995
- Control Of Pesticides Regulations 1995
- The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
- Control of Pollution Act 1974 & Water act 1989
- Waste Management Regulations 2006
Duration
1 day per unit followed by an assessment at a later date.
Entry Requirements
You must be aged 16 years or over and be physically fit and able to complete the tasks involved. Candidates must provide their own PPE.
Skills and Knowledge Assessed
- Legal requirements of using pesticides correctly and safely
- Products knowledge and label interpretation
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements
- Maintenance requirements of the equipment
- Operator health and safety
- Procedures to minimise environmental contamination and pollution
- Procedures for storing, handling, mixing and disposing of chemicals
- Equipment calibration
- Calculating and mixing of chemicals
Reaseheath offers training and assessment in the following units:
| Unit Title | Description | Duration | ||
| PA1 (mandatory) | Compulsory Foundation Module: including legislation, label interpretation, personal safety, storage, mixing and handling, first aid, dealing with contamination, environmental issues and record keeping | 1 day | ||
| PA2a (practical Unit) | Ground Crop Sprayer (Mounted or Trailed) including the use of boom type sprayers. Tractor driving skills required | 1 day | ||
| PA6 (practical unit) | Handheld Applicator including the application from knapsack | 1 day |
Other units available on request.
Information Update
Level 2 Award in the Safe use of Pesticides (PA1) is an online multi-choice assessment conducted on a computer in a classroom environment. The assessment is made up of 33 multi-choice questions covering seven categories.
- Assessment of prevailing weather conditions
- Undertake required operational adjustments
- Dispose of surplus diluted pesticide safely and correctly
- Clean out and store pesticide application equipment correctly and safely
- Take action, as appropriate, to deal with contaminated PPE
For more information please contact businesshub@reaseheath.ac.uk.