Section 650.309 - Qualifications of personnel(a) A program manager must, at a minimum:(1) Be a registered Professional Engineer, or have 10 years of bridge inspection experience;(2) Complete an FHWA-approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course as described in paragraph (h) of this section and score 70 percent or greater on an end-of-course assessment (completion of FHWA-approved comprehensive bridge inspection training under FHWA regulations in this subpart in effect before June 6, 2022, satisfies the intent of the requirement in this paragraph (a));(3) Complete a cumulative total of 18 hours of FHWA-approved bridge inspection refresher training over each 60 month period;(4) Maintain documentation supporting the satisfaction of paragraphs (a)(1) through (3) of this section; and(5) Satisfy the requirements of this paragraph (a) within 24 months from June 6, 2022, if serving as a program manager who was qualified under prior FHWA regulations in this subpart.(b) A team leader must, at a minimum:(1) Meet one of the four qualifications listed in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) through (iv) of this section:(i) Be a registered Professional Engineer and have 6 months of bridge inspection experience;(ii) Have 5 years of bridge inspection experience;(iii) Have all of the following:(A) A bachelor's degree in engineering or engineering technology from a college or university accredited by or determined as substantially equivalent by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; and(B) Successfully passed the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying Fundamentals of Engineering examination; and(C) Two (2) years of bridge inspection experience; or(iv) Have all of the following:(A) An associate's degree in engineering or engineering technology from a college or university accredited by or determined as substantially equivalent by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology; and(B) Four (4) years of bridge inspection experience;(2) Complete an FHWA-approved comprehensive bridge inspection training course as described in paragraph (h) of this section and score 70 percent or greater on an end-of-course assessment (completion of FHWA-approved comprehensive bridge inspection training under FHWA regulations in this subpart in effect before June 6, 2022, satisfies the intent of the requirement in this paragraph (b));(3) Complete a cumulative total of 18 hours of FHWA-approved bridge inspection refresher training over each 60 month period;(4) Provide documentation supporting the satisfaction of paragraphs (b)(1) through (3) of this section to the program manager of each State transportation department, Federal agency, or Tribal government for which they are performing bridge inspections; and(5) Satisfy the requirements of this paragraph (b) within 24 months from June 6, 2022, if serving as a team leader who was qualified under prior FHWA regulations in this subpart.(c) Team leaders on NSTM inspections must, at a minimum:(1) Meet the requirements in paragraph (b) of this section;(2) Complete an FHWA-approved training course on the inspection of NSTMs as defined in paragraph (h) of this section and score 70 percent or greater on an end-of-course assessment (completion of FHWA-approved NSTM inspection training prior to June 6, 2022, satisfies the intent of the requirement in this paragraph (c)); and(3) Satisfy the requirements of this paragraph (c) within 24 months from June 6, 2022.(d) Load ratings must be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, a registered professional engineer.(e) An Underwater Bridge Inspection Diver must complete FHWA-approved underwater bridge inspection training as described in paragraph (h) of this section and score 70 percent or greater on an end-of-course assessment (completion of FHWA-approved comprehensive bridge inspection training or FHWA-approved underwater bridge inspection training under FHWA regulations in this subpart in effect before June 6, 2022, satisfies the intent of the requirement in this paragraph (e)).(f) State transportation departments, Federal agencies, and Tribal governments must establish documented personnel qualifications for Damage and Special Inspection types.(g) State transportation departments, Federal agencies, and Tribal governments that establish risk-based routine inspection intervals that exceed 48 months under § 650.311(a)(2) must establish documented personnel qualifications for the Service Inspection type.(h) The following are considered acceptable bridge inspection training:(1)National Highway Institute training. Acceptable NHI courses include:(i) Comprehensive bridge inspection training, which must include topics of importance to bridge inspection; bridge mechanics and terminology; personal and public safety issues associated with bridge inspections; properties and deficiencies of concrete, steel, timber, and masonry; inspection equipment needs for various types of bridges and site conditions; inspection procedures, evaluations, documentation, data collection, and critical findings for bridge decks, superstructures, substructures, culverts, waterways (including underwater members), joints, bearings, drainage systems, lighting, signs, and traffic safety features; nondestructive evaluation techniques; load path redundancy and fatigue concepts; and practical applications of the concepts listed in this paragraph (h)(1)(i);(ii) Bridge inspection refresher training, which must include topics on documentation of inspections, commonly miscoded items, recognition of critical inspection findings, recent events impacting bridge inspections, and quality assurance activities;(iii) Underwater bridge inspection training, which must include topics on the need for and benefits of underwater bridge inspections; typical defects and deterioration in underwater members; inspection equipment needs for various types of bridges and site conditions; inspection planning and hazard analysis; and underwater inspection procedures, evaluations, documentation, data collection, and critical findings; and(iv) NSTM inspection training, which must include topics on the identification of NSTMs and related problematic structural details; the recognition of areas most susceptible to fatigue and fracture; the evaluation and recording of defects on NSTMs; and the application of nondestructive evaluation techniques.(2)FHWA approval of alternate training. A State transportation department, Federal agency, or Tribal government may submit to FHWA a training course as an alternate to any of the NHI courses listed in paragraph (h)(1) of this section. An alternate must include all the topics described in paragraph (h)(1) and be consistent with the related content. FHWA must approve alternate course materials and end-of-course assessments for national consistency and certification purposes. Alternate training courses must be reviewed by the program manager every 5 years to ensure the material is current. Updates to approved course materials and end-of-course assessments must be resubmitted to FHWA for approval.(3)FHWA-approved alternate training under prior regulations. Agencies that have alternate training courses approved by FHWA prior to June 6, 2022, have 24 months to review and update training materials to satisfy requirements as defined in § 650.305 and paragraph (h)(1) of this section and resubmit to FHWA for approval.