Guest Talon Posted November 23, 2008 Report Share Posted November 23, 2008 I have to disagree with you on this one Joe. The 'multinationals' are an easy target for critisism, but they are not the ones selling contracts for £15 or £25 per visit. The BPCA have led the way in training and qualification, and at my last company, 85% of my staff had RSPH level 2. When you write about a time 'before poisons' when exactly are you talking about? Poisons have been used for rodent control for at least the last few hundred years - the only difference is that the ones we use now are safer. The whole concept of contract visits is precautionary, not reactionary, and who was it who pioneered that? There are not many reputable companies out there who would send a technician out without training. In this increasingly litigous society, that would be asking for a law suit... Some people reading this thread may think its just an academic discussion, but actually, with the new DR59 label restrictions coming into force, there is less likely to be the widespread use of rodenticide that there currently is. I had a discussion with our staff on wednesday about what we are going to do with bait stations if we are not going to bait them..... In my experience the RSPH level 2 stnds for absolutlely nothing now because if the staff siting it belong to a large national company they usually sit it under their companys conditions..........usually with exam paper in one hand and answer sheet in the other!! cant have the lads out there un certificated now can we!! Quote Link to post
Matt 160 Posted November 23, 2008 Report Share Posted November 23, 2008 In my experience the RSPH level 2 stnds for absolutlely nothing now because if the staff siting it belong to a large national company they usually sit it under their companys conditions..........usually with exam paper in one hand and answer sheet in the other!! cant have the lads out there un certificated now can we!! I have to take issue with you there Talon. The exam is moderated and examined by the RSPH, totally independant of any company or organisation. It's a much harder exam than the old BPCA part 1 which was multiple choice. If you know of people who have cheated, drop me a pm with the details and I will make sure it is investigated. Only around 60% of candidates pass the RSPH level 2, so if they do have the answer sheet in the other hand there is something seriously wrong..... The other thing is that RSPH is an 'entry level qualification'. That means it is just the first step on an increasingly high ladder.... Quote Link to post
Guest Talon Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 In my experience the RSPH level 2 stnds for absolutlely nothing now because if the staff siting it belong to a large national company they usually sit it under their companys conditions..........usually with exam paper in one hand and answer sheet in the other!! cant have the lads out there un certificated now can we!! I have to take issue with you there Talon. The exam is moderated and examined by the RSPH, totally independant of any company or organisation. It's a much harder exam than the old BPCA part 1 which was multiple choice. If you know of people who have cheated, drop me a pm with the details and I will make sure it is investigated. Only around 60% of candidates pass the RSPH level 2, so if they do have the answer sheet in the other hand there is something seriously wrong..... The other thing is that RSPH is an 'entry level qualification'. That means it is just the first step on an increasingly high ladder.... If i pmd you the details of people who have cheated mate there would be very little technicians not geting investigated that i know! to put it in the words of one service manager i know "dont worry lads you cant fail this, anything your not sure of leave it blank an we'll go through it together at the end" and yes the exm is moderated and examined by the rsph but will the big companys puting staff through it im afraid its very much a case of "we pay the piper we choose a bit of the tune" and this i know for a fact not opinion. cheers Quote Link to post
stubby 175 Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 In my experience the RSPH level 2 stnds for absolutlely nothing now because if the staff siting it belong to a large national company they usually sit it under their companys conditions..........usually with exam paper in one hand and answer sheet in the other!! cant have the lads out there un certificated now can we!! bollocks, I had a weeks intensive studying away from home, if it was that easy, i would have just turned up on the day, and to be honest mate, if my bosses had said that to me, I'd have told them to stick it Quote Link to post
richie 1 Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 i also passed my RSPH, & the way youre describing how the exam is sat is far from how it was... there was 25 people on the course, & on the day of the exam we were joined with another 10 or so students who failed certaind modules first time round.. we werent given any help atall... Quote Link to post
Guest Talon Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 i also passed my RSPH, & the way youre describing how the exam is sat is far from how it was... there was 25 people on the course, & on the day of the exam we were joined with another 10 or so students who failed certaind modules first time round.. we werent given any help atall... Boy you guys had it hard, should have just done it with a big company and saved yourself all the hard work! Quote Link to post
Guest jbswildlife Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 level 2 great week away for us, but will do nothing to widen your carrer. What you do for one company is to much for a carrer change Quote Link to post
RatSnatcher 0 Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 If rodenticides were banned........ There would be a fugging disaster, I am really interested on how you would make a living dealing with infestations with traps alone Quote Link to post
Guest jbswildlife Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 If rodenticides were banned........ There would be a fugging disaster, I am really interested on how you would make a living dealing with infestations with traps alone have been called in after baiting failures and pulled it off. traps ferrets terriers are only a small example of other ways Quote Link to post
RatSnatcher 0 Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 If rodenticides were banned........ There would be a fugging disaster, I am really interested on how you would make a living dealing with infestations with traps alone have been called in after baiting failures and pulled it off. traps ferrets terriers are only a small example of other ways All of which are completely un usable around your local KFC or chinese takeaway, office block, domestic property...... Quote Link to post
fellman 116 Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 (edited) having just done the rhsp level 2 with THE biggest pest control firm i can assure you there is no cheating and the exam papers are not known before you get there so how the feck you can cheat is beyond me ............ yis fellman oh yeha and i passed any jobs going im open to offers Edited November 25, 2008 by fellman Quote Link to post
Guest Talon Posted November 26, 2008 Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 having just done the rhsp level 2 with THE biggest pest control firm i can assure you there is no cheating and the exam papers are not known before you get there so how the feck you can cheat is beyond me ............ yis fellman oh yeha and i passed any jobs going im open to offers Congratulations on the qualification... Quote Link to post
festa 206 Posted November 26, 2008 Report Share Posted November 26, 2008 bpca and rhsp level 2 are being scrapped next year for a new training program which brings both bpca and rhsp together as 1,, there is 2 parts to it 1st part is your level 2 (which is going to be called level 3 ) and after that the 2nd part is split into 6 moduals for those who already have bpca/rhsp 2 automatically get level3 part 1 but will still have to sit the 6 new moduals so it looks like more training for us ..... gary Quote Link to post
ChrisJones 7,975 Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 Devils Advocate... Has anyone here dealt with a serious public health problem using traps alone? By that I mean an active city centre with major structural problems to buildings, drainage and sewage infrastructure? Effecting an area of 3-4 square miles? If so what was your catch rate before you stopped counting the bodies? Would an 'old time rat catcher' be able to cope with the demands of a modern day city? Using aniseed oil and heavy gloves to catch the rats at the back of the local kebab shop? Would the time it takes to control such numbers, if possible at all, be acceptable in modern society? Would a modern day, traps only, strategy control an outbreak of rodent borne plague? As for the original question. Could the industry survive? Not only do I think it would survive, I actually think it would actually thrive long term. Hypothetically a ban on pesticides is brought in tomorrow. Initially a lot of companies would struggle as being able to control major infestations would become extremely difficult. I agree that many techinicians in many firms, both small, large and international, rely on their favourites and/or what they are supplied with. I've lost count the number of times I've seen an 'old timer' put a bait down and argue with a customer that there are no rats as the bait hasn't been taken. I've also seen similar method blindness with long serving technicians in national companies. A complete inability to think outside of the contents of the van. All of these cases can be seen right the way across the spectrum. From the company director, right down to the self employed pestie. Our pest species are adapting constantly so why aren't we? All we seem to be doing is f*****g arguing about it on here and any other pest control forum you care to link to. I'm dismayed by the attempt to undermine the RSH qualification. We have a very poorly regulated industry and such attempts to bring it into line should be supported rather than publicly heckled. The current system is far from adequate but these qualifications will be mandatory in future. The old days won't be coming back any time soon. However the new ways aren't enforced in anyway resembling minimum requirements. The one thing we all have to deal with is the resilience of Rattus norvegicus, and the resulting population explosion, that would result from a ban on rodenticides. This, followed by a rise in rodent problems throughout the country would be unacceptable in a 1st world country. The only thing preventing a major rodent borne disease epidemic would be time, as it is now. As a result any hypothetical ban would be quickly repealed and the humble rat catcher would charge for his/her services based on the demand. Meaning the initial losses would be quickly recovered and, given a warm summer, rise in food thrown away, rise in abandoned buildings, and even fortnightly bin collections, could see current business exceeded as the phones ring off the hook. All because your average pestie is swamped with work and is unable to cope with the surge in demand. I'm not scared of using any legal methods to get the job done. I'm always willing to learn new techniques and I even change my AI's every 6 months. I say bring it on! Quote Link to post
Fidgety 8 Posted November 28, 2008 Report Share Posted November 28, 2008 Quite agree Chris. When "the worm" was banned for moles, I had to learn to trap....and now rarely fail! I didnt bother with gas, as I suspect this will go soon. Doors close and open. Quote Link to post
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