With the adoption of handheld technologies, the documentation coming from a pest management service has changed. Many companies have transitioned from pen and service ticket forms to printed electronic records. Either format can achieve the main goal: to tell the story of your service. Electronic records are becoming the norm, in part because of the ability to search all records to identify trends. This is a must for any account that requires integrated pest management (IPM).
NPMA defines an IPM/Green service according to the GreenPro principles. If the service being documented is GreenPro certified, auditors will be looking at all service records for 12 months to determine the following:
GreenPro Requirement: An inspection was conducted at each service.
Documentation: Note areas and devices inspected.
GreenPro Requirement: Monitoring devices were installed and maintained for potential pests throughout the year.
Documentation: Device summary including locations and findings of inspection.
GreenPro Requirement: The number(s), location(s), and identification of pests found via inspection/monitoring are documented at each service.
Documentation: Pest summary including locations and pest counts (may overlap with device summary).
GreenPro Requirement: The PMP recommended or performed non-chemical control strategies such as exclusion, sanitation or habitat modification when applicable.
Documentation: Open conditions describing ongoing issues/recommendations. Conditions resolved by the client or during the service.
GreenPro Requirement: The customer received recommendations from and communicated with the PMP.
Documentation: Customer signature acknowledging the report was received. Proof of a meeting about open conditions that were not resolved after multiple services. Documented plan for acting on the PMPs recommendations.
By Allie Taisey, BCE, NPMA Director of Certification