Questionnaire of Best Practices in Operational Urban Pests Control Companies

Abstract:
Pests cause damage to humans since ancient times, not only because they represent risks to health through diseases, but also due to the damage they can cause in food storage by contaminating packaging, products and environments. The Sanitary Surveillance of Ribeirão Preto, adhering to the established by ordinance nr.09 of November 16th 2000 from the Health Surveillance Center of São Paulo(CVS 09), makes the inspection work of the Companies of Urban Pests Control. Over time we observed that the entrepreneurs and the technical supervisors of these companies involved in urban pest control ignored the content and importance of the above ordinance, showing resistance in applying it. Therefore a working tool was established, taking the ordinance regulations as parameter, called “Questionnaire of Best Practices in Operational Urban Pest Control Companies”. This questionnaire was handled for data collection. It should be completed, signed by the Technical Supervisors of the company and personally delivered for discussion with the inspection team, which through these information, evaluates the effective participation of the Technical Lead in their preparation and his commitment to the routine work as well as in the awareness of the operators involved. Before the application of this questionnaire there were 29 companies of urban pests control registered with VISA. After this there was a decrease in the number of companies that were able to get an operation license with the VISA. Another item considered was the natural selectivity among the companies; the illegal ones have become unqualified at the time of service requests. This questionnaire has strengthened their action at the companies of Urban Pests Control, justifying their knowledge on toxicology, habits and characteristics of urban vectors and pests, equipment and application methods, products composition and use, taking into consideration that pest control has the goal of avoiding the damage caused by pests without risking the service user’s or operator’s health and without causing prejudice to the environment. Today there are 18 licensed pest controllers in the city of Ribeirão Preto.