Ohio Administrative Code|Rule 3745-7-15 | Expiration and renewal of professional operator certification.

                                                
(A) All professional operator
		  certificates shall expire on December thirty-first of the second year after the
		  year in which the certification is issued or renewed. The certificate will
		  expire unless renewed in accordance with this rule before the expiration
		  date.
(B) The director shall send a renewal
		  notice to the certified professional operator's latest address of record
		  prior to the expiration date of the certificate. Failure to receive such notice
		  shall not relieve the certified professional operator of the responsibility to
		  renew the certificate. The professional operator shall notify the agency of
		  changes in contact information including but not limited to phone number, email
		  address and street address.
(C) Requirements for
		  renewal.
(1) Beginning with
			 certificates that expire on December 31, 2018, all renewal applications shall
			 be submitted electronically in a format approved by the director.
(2) In order to renew a certificate
			 before it expires, a certified professional operator shall submit a complete
			 application to the director by November thirtieth of the year the certification
			 expires. The submission shall include the following:
(a) A complete application for renewal, in a format provided by
				the director.
(b) A nonrefundable, nontransferable fee as set forth in section
				3745.11 of the Revised Code.
(c) When requested by the director, any documentation necessary
				to prove attendance at appropriate contact hour courses.
(d) Any other form required by state law.
(3) For a holder of multiple certificates
			 within a category, the director shall only renew the certificate representing
			 the highest classification within the field.
(4) To renew a certificate issued under
			 this chapter, the certified professional operator shall complete the number of
			 director-approved contact hours required by paragraph (D) of this rule during
			 each renewal cycle.
(D) Contact hours.
(1) Professional
			 operators holding a single certificate are required to complete the following
			 contact hours:
(a) For a class A or a limited class A professional operator, a
				minimum of eight director-approved contact hours.
(b) For a public water system professional operator I, water
				distribution professional operator I, water distribution professional operator
				II, wastewater works professional operator I, wastewater collection system
				professional operator I, or wastewater collection system professional operator
				II, a minimum of twelve director-approved contact hours.
(c) For a public water system professional operator II, public
				water system professional operator III, public water system professional
				operator IV, wastewater works professional operator II, wastewater works
				professional operator III, or wastewater works professional operator IV, a
				minimum of twenty-four director-approved contact hours.
(2) Professional
			 operators holding multiple certificates shall have the number of contact hours
			 required for the renewal of each certificate reduced by twenty-five per cent.
			 The reductions shall be granted as follows:
(a) For persons holding a certificate as a class A water supply
				or limited class A water supply professional operator and a class A wastewater
				works or a limited class A wastewater works professional operator, not less
				than six hours of director-approved contact hours shall be completed for each
				of these certificates.
(b) For persons holding certificates as a public water system
				professional operator I, water distribution professional operator I, water
				distribution professional operator II, wastewater works professional operator
				I, wastewater collection system professional operator I, or wastewater
				collection system professional operator II, not less than nine hours of
				director-approved contact hours shall be completed for each of these
				certificates.
(c) For persons holding certificates as a public water system
				professional operator II, public water system professional operator III, public
				water system professional operator IV, wastewater works professional operator
				II, wastewater works professional operator III, or wastewater works
				professional operator IV, not less than eighteen hours of director-approved
				contact hours shall be completed for each of these certificates.
(3) At least half of a
			 professional operator's contact hours shall be those determined by the
			 director to be directly related to operations and maintenance.
(4) The minimum required
			 number of director-approved contact hours shall be completed during the
			 two-year period preceding the expiration date of the certificate, except as
			 provided in paragraph (I) of this rule.
(5) A maximum of one
			 contact hour per renewal cycle may be earned if a certified professional
			 operator provides proof of individual membership in a state or national trade
			 organization related to the field in which the professional operator holds a
			 certificate.
(6) A contact hour course
			 may only be used once per renewal cycle for credit toward the contact hour
			 requirements established in this paragraph.
(7) A professional
			 operator holding multiple certificates may not use a contact hour course for
			 credit on more than one certificate, unless that professional operator has
			 attended multiple sessions of that course. However, a course's contact
			 hours may be split among multiple certificate renewals.
(8) In addition to the
			 contact hour requirements above, all professional operators shall acknowledge
			 completion of a review of the "Ohio EPA Professional Operator
			 Certification Training" course. This course will outline rule requirements
			 that are specific to certified professional operators.
(9) Upon request, an applicant for
			 renewal of a certificate shall submit documentation of attendance at approved
			 contact hour training to the director with the renewal
			 application.
(10) The holder of a certificate expiring
			 as the result of a failure to obtain the contact hours required by this rule
			 may apply for renewal, provided that the certificate will not be renewed until
			 the applicant has met the contact hour requirements and submitted a late fee in
			 accordance with division (O) of section 3745.11 of the Revised Code. These
			 contact hour requirements shall be met within six months after the expiration
			 date of the certificate or the certificate shall not be renewed. If a
			 professional operator has not submitted a renewal application by the expiration
			 date of the certificate, the professional operator shall not be the
			 professional operator of record of a public water system, treatment works, or
			 sewerage system until such time as a renewal certificate is issued. Contact
			 hours accrued to meet the certificate renewal requirements pursuant to this
			 paragraph shall not count as contact hours for the next certificate
			 renewal.
(E) Contact hour course
		  approval.
(1) All training for the
			 purpose of obtaining contact hours shall be approved by the
			 director.
(a) Training providers shall submit requests for approval of
				training prior to the training event or within thirty days after completion of
				the training event. Training providers or professional operators may request
				approval of college courses, out-of-state training, or correspondence courses
				within thirty days of the completion of the training in a format approved by
				the director.
(b) Approval of training shall be based on the
				following:
(i) The amount of time an
				  operator receives active instruction. At a minimum, a course shall contain at
				  least 0.5 hours of active instruction.
(ii) Identification and qualifications of the instructor,
				  who shall have at least three years of experience in the subject for which they
				  are providing training, or equivalent experience as determined by the
				  director.
(iii) Content of the training, which for courses over one
				  hour in length, shall include an agenda which distinguishes training time from
				  breaks and syllabus which describes the course. The syllabus shall include one
				  method for verifying attendance. The following methods may be used to verify
				  attendance:
(a) Classroom
					 course:
(i) A sign-in sheet with
						the date, course name, time of course in military time, printed name of
						operator, signed name of operator and core person ID of operator.
(ii) Completion
						certificate that includes the course date, course name, course approval number,
						name of training provider, signature of person verifying attendance, name of
						operator and core person ID of operator.
(iii) Any other method
						for verification approved by the director.
(b) Correspondence
					 course:
Completion certificate that includes the
					 course date, course name, name of training provider, signature of person
					 verifying attendance and name of operator.
(c) Web-based course,
					 which shall be interactive and not static or pre-recorded:
(i) Results of an
						interactive test given during the course for comprehension.
(ii) A report of how long
						a student had the course as their main screen. A student is considered in
						attendance for the course if the report indicates ninety per cent of the time
						was spent with the course as the main screen.
(iii) Completion
						certificate that includes the course date, course name, name of training
						provider, signature of person verifying attendance and name of
						operator.
(d) Webinars:
(i) Documentation of periodic interactivity.
(ii) Documentation that an operator has spent a minimum of
						ninety per cent of the time with the webinar as the active window on the
						computer or some other method for verification approved by the
						director.
(iii) Completion certificate that includes the course date,
						course name, name of training provider, signature of person verifying
						attendance and name of operator.
(iv) Applicability and relevance of the training to the
				  operation or management of a public water system or treatment facility, water
				  distribution system, treatment works, or sewerage system.
(c) Determination of course credit:
(i) For classroom courses
				  and webinars, course credit shall be based on the amount of active instruction
				  during the course. A maximum of fifteen minutes of questions and answers may be
				  counted as active instruction.
(ii) For correspondence
				  and web-based courses, course credit shall be based on one of the
				  following:
(a) A standardized
					 process using two minutes of time per page of text, one minute of time for
					 practice problems or exercises and one minute of time for quiz or exam
					 questions.
(b) Documentation of
					 beta-testing of at least one hundred individuals to determine the average
					 length of time to complete the course.
(c) A method that
					 provides equivalent evaluation of instructional time as approved by the
					 director.
(d) Courses shall expire three years following the last
				scheduled date of the course.
(e) Training providers shall maintain all records
				associated with approved contact hour courses for a minimum of three years from
				the date of the course.
(2) All training
			 providers shall notify the agency of subsequent sessions of an approved
			 training course either prior to or within thirty days of the training in a
			 format approved by the director. Failure to notify may result in the withdrawal
			 of approval for the course. Submission of a new training date shall extend the
			 course expiration date by three years from the date of the
			 training.
(3) Within thirty days of
			 the effective date of this rule, all training providers shall electronically
			 submit attendance documentation in a format approved by the director. Course
			 attendance records shall be submitted within sixty days of the completion of
			 the course.
(4) The director may approve courses that
			 have been approved by other operator certification organizations, provided the
			 process is consistent with Ohio EPA's process as identified in this rule.
			 After Ohio EPA verifies consistency, the training provider shall electronically
			 submit course applications and attendance data.
(5) In the event training providers or
			 professional operators, approved through the process described in paragraph (E)
			 of this rule, do not follow the provisions in paragraph (E) of this rule, the
			 director shall not approve new training courses for a period of up to two
			 years. The director may refuse to recognize an approved training course for
			 contact hour credit if a training provider fails to meet the criteria listed in
			 paragraphs (E)(1) and (E)(3) of this rule.
(F) Approval to issue trainer-specific
		  contact hour course approval numbers.
(1) As an alternative to
			 the process listed in paragraph (E) of this rule, training providers may
			 request approval to issue trainer-specific contact hour course approval numbers
			 on a form acceptable to the director, provided the training providers do the
			 following:
(a) Provide training that is applicable to the operation or
				management of a public water system, treatment works, or sewerage
				system.
(b) Use instructors who have at least three years experience in
				the subject for which they are providing training, or equivalent expertise as
				determined by the director.
(c) Have provided courses approved by the agency in accordance
				with paragraph (E) of this rule for a minimum of three years.
(d) Have been previously approved to provide a minimum of twelve
				contact hours.
(e) Assign each contact hour course provided with a unique number
				that identifies the provider, field, course number, and subject.
(f) Maintain attendance records, an agenda which distinguishes
				training time from breaks and lunches, a course syllabus and instructor
				qualifications for each course given for a period of three years from the date
				of training.
(g) Assign contact hours only for the amount of time spent on
				training. Training providers shall not issue certificates of completion for a
				number of hours different than that assigned to an approved training
				course.
(h) Assign a subject to each course (i.e., operation and
				maintenance or other).
(i) Provide the director with a list of scheduled training, in a
				format acceptable to the director, by the first day of the month for each month
				that training is offered. This list shall include the name of the course, the
				training provider's approval number, the instructor's name, subject,
				date, and location of the training, along with the number of contact hours
				assigned.
(j) Upon request, be capable of providing a record of
				student training to the agency or the student.
(2) Training providers
			 approved through the process described in paragraph (F)(1) of this rule shall
			 be designated green leaf training providers.
(3) In the event a green leaf training
			 provider does not provide a list of scheduled training by the first day of the
			 month, the green leaf training provider shall submit course approval
			 applications in accordance with paragraph (E) of this rule. If course approval
			 applications are not submitted, the training shall not be considered for the
			 renewal of a certificate.
(4) In the event a green
			 leaf training provider has given a trainer-specific contact hour course number
			 to a course that has not been given and the course changes, due to adjustments
			 in the length of the presentation or instructor, the green leaf training
			 provider shall notify Ohio EPA within two business days of the
			 change.
(5) When a green leaf
			 training provider course has been previously provided to operators and changes
			 due to adjustments in the length of the presentation, the green leaf training
			 provider shall create a new approval number and notify Ohio EPA in accordance
			 with the requirements set forth in this rule.
(6) Green leaf training
			 provider courses shall expire three years following the last scheduled date of
			 the course.
(7) Within thirty days of
			 the effective date of this rule, all green leaf training providers shall
			 electronically submit attendance documentation in a format provided by the
			 director. Course attendance records shall be submitted within thirty days of
			 the completion of the course.
(8) Failure to meet any of the criteria
			 in paragraph (F) of this rule may result in the withdrawal of the
			 director's approval for all contact hour course training given by the
			 green leaf training provider for a period of up to two years. For training
			 providers who have not received approval in accordance with paragraph (F) of
			 this rule, the director shall not approve new contact hour course training for
			 a period of up to two years. The director may refuse to recognize contact hour
			 credit for approved courses if a training provider fails to meet the
			 requirements of paragraphs (F)(1) and (F)(2) of this rule.
(G) All training providers shall allow
		  agency representatives to attend courses at any time for the purpose of
		  reviewing the length of training, training content and other relevant aspects
		  of the training. Agency employees shall not use this provision to obtain
		  contact hours.
(H) The director shall not renew the professional operator
		  certificate of an applicant failing to meet the requirements of this
		  rule.
(I) A renewal card indicating the valid dates of the
		  renewed professional operator certificate shall be issued to all certified
		  professional operators who have met the renewal requirements of this
		  rule.
(J) Upon submission of a complete application, an expired
		  professional operator certificate can be renewed within six months of the
		  expiration date, subject to all the requirements and conditions of paragraph
		  (C) of this rule and division (O) of section 3745.11 of the Revised Code. In
		  all cases the expiration date of the renewed professional operator certificate
		  shall be the same as if the renewal requirements had been met on or before the
		  date of expiration. After the expiration date and prior to renewal according to
		  this paragraph, the professional operator shall not perform those activities
		  requiring a certificate.
(K) A professional operator's certificate that has not
		  been renewed within six months of the expiration date shall not be renewed. In
		  such cases, the former certificate holder shall apply for examination, pay all
		  required fees, and pass the examination in order to obtain
		  certification.
(L) In the event that a professional operator is not able
		  to meet the contact hour requirements of this rule due to a personal life
		  threatening illness or military service the director may, upon request, grant
		  an extension for achieving the required contact hours. However, the
		  professional operator shall not be the professional operator of record of a
		  public water system, treatment works, or sewerage system until such time as the
		  contact hour requirements are fulfilled and a renewal certificate is
		  issued.
(M) The director shall audit a representative number of
		  renewal applications in order to document compliance with the contact hour
		  requirements.