(1)  All commercial, public utility, and government applicators shall demonstrate by written examination and, as appropriate, performance testing, practical knowledge of the principles and practices of pest control and safe use of pesticides.  Examination shall be based on knowledge and examples of problems and situations appropriate to the applicator's classification or subclassifications and the following areas of competency for which a license or certification-license is desired:

(a)  Label and labeling comprehension:

(i)  the general format and terminology of pesticide labels and labeling;

(ii)  the understanding of instructions, warnings, terms, symbols, and other information commonly appearing on pesticide labels;

(iii)  classification of the product, general or restricted;

(iv)  necessity for use consistent with the label.

(b)  Safety factors including:

(i)  pesticide toxicity and hazard to man and common exposure routes;

(ii)  common types and causes of pesticide accidents;

(iii)  precautions necessary to guard against injury to applicators and other individuals in or near treated areas;

(iv)  need for and use of protective clothing and equipment;

(v)  symptoms of pesticide poisonings;

(vi)  first aid and other procedures to be followed in case of a pesticide accident;

(vii)  proper identification, storage, transport, handling, mixing procedures, and disposal methods for pesticides and pesticide containers, including precautions to be taken to prevent children from having access to pesticides and pesticide containers.

(c)  Environmental consequences of the use and misuse of pesticides as may be influenced by such factors as:

(i)  weather and other climatic conditions;

(ii)  types of terrain, soil, or other substrate;

(iii)  presence of fish, wildlife, and other non-target organisms;

(iv)  drainage patterns.

(d)  Pest factors such as:

(i)  common features of pest organisms and characteristics of damage needed for pest recognition;

(ii)  recognition of relevant pests;

(iii)  pest development and biology as it may be relevant to problem identification and control;

(e)  Pesticide factors such as:

(i)  types of pesticides;

(ii)  types of formulations;

(iii)  compatibility, synergism, persistence, and animal and plant toxicity of the formulations;

(iv)  hazards and residues associated with use;

(v)  factors which influenced effectiveness or lead to such problems as resistance to pesticides;

(vi)  dilution procedures.

(f)  Equipment factors (relevant to applicator's operation)  includinq:

(i)  types of equipment and advantages and limitations of each type;

(ii)  uses, maintenance, and calibration.

(g)  Application technique factors including:

(i)  methods and procedures used to apply various formulations of pesticides, solutions, and gases together with a knowledge of which technique of application to use in a given situation;

(ii)  relationship of discharge and placement of pesticides to proper use, unnecessary use, and misuse;

(iii)  prevention of drift and pesticide loss into the environment.

(h)  State and federal laws, regulations, and rules.