As many of you know, we have had numerous discussions related to exams over the last few months. The Structural Pest Control Board (SPCB) at its last Board meeting in September had the Office of Professional Exam Services (OPES)  participate to provide their perspective on test questions/criteria and listen to our concerns. It is important that we continue to engage with SPCB on all areas of exams because we bring a real world perspective that is critical to making these fair and equitable. We know timing is never good, but the ability to lend your people to this activity is not only an investment for them but for our industry as a whole. Many thanks to those who participated in recent workshops, but the goal is to identify people all over the state to assist with the process on a regular basis. Let us know if we can help you in any way related to any of these workshops in the future.

Chris Reardon
PCOC Executive Vice President

December BOD Golf Tournament – December 6, 2018
Escena Golf Club, Palm Springs, California
Golfer/Sponsor Registration Form

Board of Directors Meeting – December 6-8, 2018
Hilton Palm Springs Resort, Palm Springs, California
Board of Directors Meeting Announcement
Committee Schedule
**Please note that in lieu of our Legistative Reception, PCOC and Clark Pest Control will host a Celebration of Life for Charlie Clark on Friday, December 7 from 5pm to 7pm Reception Announcement

Professional Women in Pest Management (PWPM) has organized a walk for the morning of Friday, December 7. Please meet in the hotel lobby at 7:45am and the walk will start at 8am.
Check the PCOC website for more information.

Opioid Update: There is progress in efforts to reduce opioid use in workers, despite the hurdles.  Opioid Prescriptions for Workers Down 6 percent.  Overall, the use of opioids in prescriptions for injured workers dropped from 51.3 percent in January to 45.3 percent in June, a drop of 6 percent, according to the database maintained by Optum, a pharmacy benefits management firm.

   In addition, the total amount of workers comp dollars spent on opioids dropped from 28.6 percent to 25.4 percent in the first six months of 2018, according to the report. Opioids as a percentage of total prescriptions also dipped from 29.8 percent to 27.3 percent, the report states.
   Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and topical creams are helping, but challenges still remain.

Use of Topical Creams Results in Significant Opioid Use Reduction

   The benefit of topical creams has been considered problematic in the past, according to some experts. Many complained that a 2010 analysis published in the Journal of Pain Research had sample sizes that were too small and that among the control groups there had not been a systematic review of every drug class, which made it difficult to assess how well the creams worked.

   In a new study though, use of topical creams after three- and six-month periods were reported to produce significant results in reducing opioid use among a group of chronic pain sufferers, according to a study published in the medical journal Postgraduate Medicine in January 2018: “Reduction of Opioid Use and Improvement in Chronic Pain in Opioid-Experienced Patients after Topical Analgesic Treatment: An Exploratory Analysis.”

   Almost half of patients (49 percent) in the three-month group and over half (56 percent) in the six-month group reported they completely discontinued their opioid use. More than half of those who discontinued opioid use said they were no longer taking any pain medication.

   But prescription strength topical creams can be very expensive. Also, some states have implemented formularies to restrict compound medications, according to Ben Roberts, vice president of compliance at Wayne, Pennsylvania-based managed care services company Genex Services L.L.C, when interviewed by Business Insurance. Plus, says Roberts, compound drugs are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

   Still, the January 2018 Postgraduate Medicine study is good news for the campaign to reduce opioid use.

OSHA Seen Working Against Employers in the Battle against Opioids

   The workers comp community is well aware of the lethal effects of opioid pain relievers and employers, workers’ comp professionals, physicians and even patients themselves have been taking steps to reduce their use.  However, many in the community complain that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is hamstringing efforts to further reduce use. 

   OSHA’s electronic record-keeping rule still discourages employers from mandating post-incident drug testing. OSHA is concerned that employers will use drug-testing as a way to retaliate against employees who report an injury or illness. 

    “We know this drug crisis is invading the workplace, and yet OSHA is out there pushing rules that scare employers away from drug testing,” said Eric Conn, founding partner of Washington-based Conn Maciel Carey L.L.P.  “I could not write a more backwards safety and health policy if I tried.”

   If you have questions about your efforts to reduce workers comp drug dependency, please contact the PCOC Insurance Program professionals of EPIC at (877) 860-7378 or, email us @ ProPest@epicbrokers.com.  Also, check out our website: www.pcocinsurance.com.

Paul Lindsay
Senior Vice President 
EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants

November

 BAY AREA DISTRICT
November 14 – Social hour starts @ 5:30 p.m., dinner is @ 6:00 p.m.
CHAIR: Allen Kanady – Omega Termite & Pest Control
allenrobert@omegapest.com • (510) 544-5913 
El Portal Restaurant, 2028 Lewelling Rd., San Leandro

SANTA CLARA DISTRICT – November 14 @ 6:30 p.m.
CHAIR: Janet Thrasher – Thrasher Termite & Pest Control
jthrasher@thrashertermite.com • (408) 354-9944
Drying Shed, 402 Toyon Ave, San Jose

VENTURA DISTRICT
November 14 @ 7:00pm
CHAIR: Rudy Ayala – Spearhead Pest Control 
rudy@spearheadpestcontrol.com • (805) 746-4547
Marriott Hotel, 600 East Esplanade Dr., Oxnard

CENTRAL COAST DISTRICT (Formerly known as SANTA BARBARA DISTRICT)
November 15 @ 6:30 p.m.
CHAIR: Dave Watkins – O’Connor Pest Control
Dwatkins@oconnorpest.com • (805) 482-2782
F. McLintocks, 750 Mattie Rd., Pismo Beach
Guest Speaker: Darren Van Steenwyk, President of the Structural Pest Control Board

   This month was eventful at the Capitol. We have a new governor as well as a many new elected officials that are tasked to protect our great state. Gavin Newsom as the governor-elect is already beginning to prepare the transition team. This would include some of the key appointments in positions that will have direct impacts on our industry. PCOC, through its PAC, wisely invested money in key individuals this latest election cycle. There were several key legislative races throughout the state that PCOC targeted and they were able to pull out the victory. After this election, our industry is in a place where we hopefully will have a seat at the table.

   On a regulatory note, please pay attention to the new fipronil label (Termidor/Taurus) for ant and general pest control applications during the months of November, December, January, and February. Below-ground termite control is not impacted by these restrictions. Also, pyrethroids cannot be applied during precipitation according to the Surface Water Protection Regulations. This applies to all formulations including liquid dilutables or granules. Please refer to the labels and regulations for more details.

Darren Van Steenwyk, M.S., BCE
Structural Pest Control Board, President
LEED Green Associate & Technical Director, Clark Pest Control
darrenv@clarkpest.com

_________________________________________________________________________________

As many of you know, there has been great interest in Structural Pest Control Board (SPCB) exams. The Structural Pest Control Board has some UPCOMING EXAMINATION DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS. These workshops help the SPCB develop their licensing questions. We know this is a busy time of year for us all, but our input is important, so we hope you can participate or send someone you work with! 
Here is a list of upcoming workshops organized by license type: 

Visit California Structural Pest Control Board website for more information

Join Us for the 2018 Global Bed Bug Summit

Registration  |  Exhibitor Information  |  Hotel Information  |  Program  |  Affordable Housing Track  |  Optional Ski Trip  |  Sponsors   

November 27 - 29, 2018
Sheraton Denver Downtown
Denver, Colorado

Featuring industry experts showcasing the latest bed bug research and control strategies, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) will be hosting the Global Bed Bug Summit, November 27-29 in Denver, Colorado.

Register Today!

Attendee Online Registration
Attendee PDF Registration Form

________________________________________________________________________________________________

NPMA update: so, what is PPMA?

The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) is an investor-driven organization that has been successfully marketing the value of professional pest control to consumers for nearly 20 years, resulting in positive exposure for our industry and the growth of our residential and commercial markets.

We ARE making an impact in the attitudes, opinions, and buying decisions of residential and commercial customers. We have increased awareness of the value of professional pest control services and protected our reputation through ongoing national and local media outreach, innovative advertising campaigns, social media engagement, public service announcements and more. It’s work that is only possible because of the generous contributions of hundreds of investor companies who understand that their participation is making a huge impact on the industry.

Our mandate is to:

• Grow the market by encouraging consumers to call a professional
• Counteract activist efforts on both national and local levels by being prepared to instantly respond on behalf of the industry
• Increase awareness of the role professional pest control plays in preserving the public’s quality of life – in terms of health, property, safety and time management

*NEW* NPMA Login for Joint Membership

LOGIN: Email or Personal ID

PASSWORD: npma

Frequently Asked-For Websites

Department of Fish & Game
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/

Department of Food & Agriculture
www.cdfa.ca.gov

California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)
www.cdpr.ca.gov

DPR on Facebook
www.facebook.com/capesticideregulation

DPR on YouTube (see "playlists" for videos pertaining to new surface water regulations)
www.youtube.com/user/californiapesticides

DPR on Twitter
twitter.com/ca_pesticides

DPR LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/company/california-department-of-pesticide-regulation

Healthy Schools Act
http://apps.cdpr.ca.gov/schoolipm/

Structural Pest Control Board
www.pestboard.ca.gov

Find Your Legislator
www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

NPMA's QualityPro Accrediation Application
www.npmaqualitypro.org/apply

Alain Parcan, Market Hardware, Inc.
September 2018

Use These 2 Google Tools for More Powerful Web Marketing

Most pest control professionals would agree: Working with ineffective tools puts you at a disadvantage, especially when compared to working with efficient, finely-tuned equipment.

So when it comes to fine-tuning your Website’s performance, how do you go about finding the best tools? We’re here to point you in the right direction.

The first tool we recommend is Google’s PageSpeed Insights, which reports on the real-world performance of a Website for mobile and desktop devices and provides suggestions on how that page can be improved. Given the increased urgency for your Website to load quickly in order to rank high on Google searches, this is a must-use tool. It will help identify the parts of your Website that are slowing down your load time, and it will ensure you can provide visitors with an optimized user experience.

Next up, the Mobile-Friendly Test Tool is essential in today’s online market. With the Web being accessed more and more on mobile devices, designing your Website to be mobile-friendly ensures your pages perform well on all devices.

The Mobile-Friendly Test tool is as simple as could be. It provides a yes/no answer as to whether your Website is mobile-friendly. Additionally, it provides a more detailed breakdown of technical information.

Note that while most of Google’s earlier tools were aimed at developers, site designers and other more technical users, these new testing tools are designed for everyday business owners who may not have quite as much technical expertise.

These tools are especially valuable as Google continues to transition to a mobile-first Web. Most of their recent algorithm updates have focused on factors like these, so be sure to use these free tools to keep your Website ahead of the competition.

Alain Parcan, Director of Marketing for Market Hardware, Inc., contributed this article. Alain brings nearly 10 years of experience in educating businesses so they can market themselves more effectively. Market Hardware helps small businesses compete on the Web and offers special discounts for PCOC members. You can reach Alain’s team at 888-381-6925.