DEC Special Permit Training - Orleans County

April 11, 2012


DEC Special Permit allows non-certified workers to apply and handle federally restricted use pesticides: The Special Permit does not relieve the responsibility of the certified applicator that supervises these employees, but it does relieve the requirement of "on-site, within voice contact" supervision while these pesticides are being applied. Certified Supervisors are required to attend the first 30 minutes of this training.

What are federally restricted-use pesticides?
There are several reasons why pesticides may be federally restricted including avian, fish or aquatic toxicity, acute human oral/inhalation/dermal toxicity (poison), ground and surface water concerns, reproductive effects or tumor causing. Several of the pyrethroid, organophosphorous and carbamate insecticides such as Warrior, Capture, Diazinon, Lorsban and Lannate, and a few herbicides such as Gramoxone and Atrazine, are federally restricted-use materials.

DEC Special Permit training
At Special Permit trainings, we review with non-certified applicators Worker Protection Safety (WPS) handler training and for each federally restricted-use pesticide the potential hazards to non-target species and the environment, and how to prevent the risk of exposure. Trainees also receive a packet with summaries of this information. A DEC Special Permit is valid for one year and needs to be renewed every year unless the pesticide applicator becomes certified.