OHIO AMENDS PESTICIDE LAW

Requires Applications To Be Performed By A Licensed Commercial Applicator

Ohio Governor Bob Taft has signed Senate Bill 217, significantly revising the Ohio State Pesticide Law. Most notably, the Bill requires that pesticide applications at various publicly accessible facilities be performed either by a licensed commercial applicator or by an individual acting as a "trained serviceperson" who works under the direct supervision of a licensed commercial applicator.

Specifically, under the bill, an individual must have a commercial applicator license or be a trained serviceperson if the individual is the owner or employee of a business, other than a pesticide business, and he or she applies pesticides at any of the following publicly accessible sites:

* Food Service Operations;

* Retail Food Establishments;

* Golf Courses;

* Rental Properties (with more than 4 units);

* Hospitals and Medical Facilities;

* Child Day Care Centers;

* Wholesale Food Establishments; and

* "Facilities Owned or Operated By a School District, a Community School, or a Chartered or Non Chartered Nonpublic School."

The Bill defines "trained serviceperson" simply as an employee who has been trained to apply pesticides.

Among the Bill's other notable provisions is a requirement that the Director of Agriculture establish standards governing the development and implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) practices that are designed to prevent unreasonable adverse effects on human health and the environment. This requirement may signal that the state is likely to require the implementation of IPM programs in public facilities at some time in the future.

Finally, the Bill revises the Ohio State Pesticide Law in numerous other ways, amending the requirements as they apply to the licensure of applicators; the licensure of pesticide businesses; the licensure of pesticide dealers; the registration of pesticide products; fees; and enforcement. Fortunately, the other provisions of the Bill apply to agricultural and restricted use products and none of the provisions, except the licensed applicator requirement, outlined above, will impact the antimicrobial pesticide industry.

For a copy of Ohio Senate Bill 217, please contact Tracy Novak, ISSA, at 800-225-4772.

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International Sanitary Supply Association, Inc.

7373 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincolnwood, IL 60712-1799

847/982-0800 * 800/225-4772 * Fax: 847/982-1922

E-mail: info@issa.com * http://www.issa.com

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