Regulatory Spotlights

May 2010: Operator Training

The Energy Act, signed by President Bush on August 8, 2005, requires all operators of USTs to have certified operator training. The EPA outlined specific criteria for the training program based on the needs of differing levels of operators.

After August 8, 2012 states MUST require operators to be trained as follows:

• Class A and B must be trained within 30 days or another reasonable period (specified by the state) after assuming operation and maintenance responsibilities at the UST system

• Class C operators must be trained before assuming responsibility for responding to emergencies.

Guidelines for the Act include: a description of the classes of operators, required training for each class of operator, deadlines when operator training is required, and examples of acceptable state approaches to operator training. Many states have or are in the process of forming their own rules and programs for implementing these broader federal guidelines.

As you might imagine, online and offsite operator training courses are being planned by a myriad of vendors to fulfill this federal edict, but please check these programs against your state requirements to ensure that the one you choose will be accepted by your specific state. The last thing you need is to invest in the time and money into a broad-based training program only to find it doesn’t meet all your state requirements and must be redone.

Titan management offers customized operator training programs for its clients that are specific to their sites and guaranteed to satisfy all state and federal guidelines. These programs include the information, images, and protocols unique to our clients and their individual training needs. If you go to the expense of training your staff, it is Titan’s belief that you should do it right and include images and equipment specific to your environment. Most of this data is already stored in Titan’s Web-based platform.

Feel free to e-mail Titan today at ROI@mytitan.net to learn more about these customized courses.

For more information on the operator training grant guidelines for states outlining requirements, please visit http://www.epa.gov/OUST/fedlaws/otgg_final080807.pdf. Operator training is delineated in the Section 9010 of the Energy Act of 2005. The complete Act is 551 pages, but the above link provides a good summary overview.