Section 11-25-3 - Classes of certification Operators may obtain certification by the following methods provided in this section:
(1) Operator-in-training (OIT) certification.(A) An applicant may apply for OIT certification if the applicant meets the following requirements:(i) The applicant meets the educational requirements of section 11-25-4 and,(ii) The applicant is hired or assigned to work at a WTP or DS, in order to gain experience to qualify for certification at the Grade 1 level.(B) No exam is required for OIT certification.(C) An OIT shall not make process control or system integrity decisions about water quality or quantity that effect public health. An OIT shall work under the direct supervision of a certified Grade 1 or higher operator.(2) Regular certification. (A) An applicant meeting the educational and experience requirements of section 11-25-4 may apply for certification with examination.(B) An applicant already certified in the State may apply for certification with examination in a higher grade if the applicant meets the following requirements: (i) The applicant shows proof that the applicant obtained the continuing education units (CEUs) required in section 11-25-5 and maintained certification in the applicant's present grade; and(ii) The applicant meets the educational and work experience requirements noted in section 11-25-4 for the higher grade.(C) The board may approve the issuance of a regular DSO certification to an operator who has, by June 30, 2001, at least one year of experience in operating a DS, has attended board-approved DSO training, and passed a board-approved DSO certification exam.(3) Reciprocity certification. An applicant currently certified by another state, territory, or possession of the United States of America, or by another country or entity that is listed in the "Certification Contacts" section in ABC's annual directory, may apply for certification without an examination in the grade in which the applicant is currently certified.(4) Temporary certification. When the board determines that there is a shortage of operators at the Grade 2, 3, or 4 level, the board may approve issuance of temporary certification for the shortage grade. The temporary certification grade may be one grade higher than the operator's current grade. An operator's temporary certification shall expire no later than twenty-four months from the issuance date. The category of Grade 4 WTP temporary certification expired on October 31, 2000.(A) Temporary certification without an initial exam shall be requested by the water purveyor. The applicant shall work at the purveyor's WTP or DS, under the direction of an operator with regular certification at the same or higher level as the class of that WTP or DS.(B) The applicant shall be able to meet the minimum educational and work experience requirements and pass the exam for that grade level within twenty-four months of the certificate issuance date.(C) If the operator with temporary certification does not pass one of the exams available at that grade within twenty-four months, the temporary certification shall expire and shall not be renewed.(5) Provisional certification for operators of new WTPs. (A) Operators who operate new class 1 or 2 WTPs brought online after June 30, 2000, and who do not qualify for conditional certification, may apply for provisional certification to operate the new WTPs.(B) Water purveyors shall meet the following conditions in order to qualify operators for provisional certification:(i) The contractor or approved agent for the water treatment equipment shall provide on-site training for the operators in a manner approved by the director;(ii) The operator shall pass a combined written exam and hands-on exam, provided by the contractor or approved agent, and approved by the director. The contractor or approved agent shall provide a report on the qualification status of each operator; and(iii)The manufacturer or approved agent shall be available to provide on-call service to the water purveyor for a period of not less than one year.(C) The operator with provisional certification shall have two opportunities to take the certification exam. If the operator is unable to pass one of the next two examinations offered by the board, the provisional certification is canceled.(6) Conditional certification. Operators in responsible charge of a DS, or a WTP treating ground water, and who had a minimum of one year of such work experience in the State by June 30, 2001, qualified for conditional certification. The category of conditional certification expired on December 31, 2003. Applications for WTPO conditional certification were accepted until June 29, 1993 for operators operating surface water treatment plants. These conditional certificates expired on December 31, 1994, if not canceled earlier. [Eff 2/8/93; am and comp 4/29/95; am and comp 8/25/97; am and comp 1/8/01, am and comp 5/24/02] (Auth: HRS §§ 340F-7, 340F-11(1)) (Imp: HRS §§ 340F-3, 340F-5, 340F-6, 340F-7, 340F-8, 340F-11, 340F-12; 40 C.F.R. §141.70; 42 U.S.C. § 300g - 8)