Pesticides can be dangerous if used or managed incorrectly. Training in the correct use of pesticides helps prevent mistakes at work – keeping you, your family, the community, trade, and the environment safe.
Training in pesticide use is required under the Pesticides Regulation 2017.
If you use pesticides as part of your work, you must:
You must be trained in pesticide use if your work involves using pesticides. This includes the use of
Some occupations that use pesticides include
If you are a pest management technician, fumigator, ground sprayer or aerial applicator licensed under the Pesticides Act 1999, these training requirements do not apply to you. There are other qualification requirements that apply to licensed pesticide users.
You must be trained if
even if someone else applies the pesticide
Relevant occupations include loader-mixers involved in the aerial pesticide application industry.
If you use pesticides working as a loader or mixer supporting aerial pesticide applications you must have a certificate of completion for the Spraysafe Loader/Mixer Program issued by the Aerial Application Association of Australia
You do not need to do training for loader-mixer works involved in the aerial pesticide application industry if you have completed Spraysafe loader mixer training.
Using pesticides on livestock and domestic animals
You need training if
You do not need to be trained if you only treat livestock with internal parasite treatments (drenching) or with external parasite treatments such as backline products that do not require dilution or mixing with water. These parasite treatments are regarded as stock medicines.
Vets needing training should contact training providers in their area to discuss undertaking a skills accreditation course or an assessment course that tests on-job experience and prior learning.
The Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) requires proof of training before you can buy some restricted chemical products. Contact the APVMA on (02) 6410 4701 for further information.
Volunteers normally must still be trained unless their work falls under the domestic like use exemption in which case they do not need training.
You do not need training if you
Available exemptions are
Note that the EPA cannot grant individuals or other groups exemption from training.
You do not need to be trained if you only use small quantities of household pesticides as part of your business or at home, provided you do all the following
The hand-held applicator can be either hand-powered, for example, a trigger nozzle on a hose, or powered, for example, a hand applicator attached to a pump on the back of a truck, as long as the pesticide is distributed by hand, not applied by mechanical equipment such as a boom-spray on the back of a tractor.
Note this is not the case under the occasional use exemption where the equipment used must be hand-held and hand-powered.
The quantities specified in the domestic-like exemption for pesticide use outside and inside apply to each 'job' done. Examples include
Products purchased from rural produce stores are not automatically exempt. Exempt products include label instructions that permit use by householders in the house or garden. For this reason many insecticides and herbicides do not fall under this exemption. If you are unsure, check the label.
You can apply pesticides occasionally as part of agricultural or forestry operations without training if you are directly supervised by a person who has been trained. 'Occasional' is defined as pesticide use on no more than 12 days in the previous 12 months.
For this exemption to apply
You must not regularly use pesticides as part of agricultural and forestry operations under this exemption.
There is a range of training for all types of pesticide users. You can
The EPA strongly encourages people who must be trained to seek training that is appropriate for their level of work and experience.
Competencies that must be obtained are listed in the current notice of approved units of competency (PDF 685KB), which was published in the NSW Government Gazette No 592 on 23 December 2022.
The minimum level of competency in pesticide use required under the Pesticides Regulation 2017 is Australian Qualifications Framework Level 2 (AQF2). This is for people applying pesticides under supervision.
For a training course to meet the requirements, it must train users in unit code AHCCHM201 - Apply chemicals under supervision. Earlier versions of this unit are also acceptable.
If you are working as an unsupervised operator or independent business person, for example, a farmer, you need training in Australian Qualifications Framework Level 3 (AQF3).
For a training course to meet the requirements, it must train users in units
Major providers of chemical training have agreed to deem people with language or literacy difficulties competent at AQF2 if they can successfully demonstrate competence at that level.
Older competency units including those with a RTC prefix are still recognised.
The EPA does not approve any particular training provider or course. See where can I get information about trainers for contacts.
An authorised officer of the EPA may ask for proof of training at any time. Proof needed includes
Fees are set by the relevant training provider. The EPA is not involved in this process.
While there is currently no subsidy or relief for general pesticides users, if you are experienced in pesticides applications you may be able to undertake a shorter, and cheaper, assessment of prior learning, rather than the full course. Contact the training providers in your local area for further information.
All pesticide users must maintain their competence in pesticide use due to significant ongoing developments in
If pesticides users' application skills are not periodically reassessed, some users could
The two options for maintaining competence are to
The Pesticides Regulation 2017 provides pesticide users with the ability to maintain their competence in pesticide use by participating in an EPA-approved quality assurance or stewardship program (EPA-approved program). It does not include the use of fumigants.
Quality Assurance and Stewardship Program Approval Policy (PDF 185KB) outlines the procedure for having a quality assurance or stewardship program approved, and the criteria the EPA uses to guide decision making with respect to the approval of programs against clause 31(1)(c) of the Regulation. The approved programs are published by notice in the NSW Government Gazette.
To be eligible for assessment, programs must have appropriate content relating to pesticide use, systems to demonstrate participant compliance and accountable program governance arrangements. The criteria used to assess programs aims to ensure that by following the EPA-approved program’s requirements relating to pesticide use, its members will maintain knowledge and skills needed to comply with the requirements of the Act and the Regulation.
EPA approved programs
Note: Approval does not apply to the use of fumigants due to the potential risks associated with their use.
For pesticide users that are not members of an EPA-approved program, or who use pesticides for work or business not directly associated with the EPA-approved program, the requirement to complete retraining every five years will still apply. For example, if a person works for multiple organisations, and only one of these is a member of an EPA-approved program, the five yearly re-training requirement is still applicable for pesticide use outside that organisation.
Members or operators of programs can also request an assessment by contacting info@epa.nsw.gov.au and including documentation (or links to online documentation) to support the case for approval with reference to the criteria outlined in Section 2 of the Policy (PDF 185KB).
You risk a $500 fine if you are a pesticide user and
Penalties also apply if you