(1) Upon receipt of the application, the
department shall review the application and determine whether the
applicant is eligible to take an examination for the master
journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master specialty
electrician, or specialty electrician certificate of competency.
(a) Before July 1, 2005, an applicant who possesses a valid
journeyman electrician certificate of competency in effect for
the previous four years and a valid general administrator's
certificate may apply for a master journeyman electrician
certificate of competency without examination.
(b) Before July 1, 2005, an applicant who possesses a valid
specialty electrician certificate of competency, in the specialty
applied for, for the previous two years and a valid specialty
administrator's certificate, in the specialty applied for, may
apply for a master specialty electrician certificate of
competency without examination.
(c) Before December 1, 2003, the following persons may
obtain an equipment repair specialty electrician certificate of
competency without examination:
(i) A person who has successfully completed an
apprenticeship program approved under chapter 49.04 RCW for the
machinist trade; and
(ii) A person who provides evidence in a form prescribed by
the department affirming that: (A) He or she was employed as of
April 1, 2003, by a factory-authorized equipment dealer or
service company; and (B) he or she has worked in equipment repair
for a minimum of four thousand hours.
(d) To be eligible to take the examination for a master
journeyman electrician certificate of competency the applicant
must have possessed a valid journeyman electrician certificate of
competency for four years.
(e) To be eligible to take the examination for a master
specialty electrician certificate of competency the applicant
must have possessed a valid specialty electrician certificate of
competency, in the specialty applied for, for two years.
(f) To be eligible to take the examination for a journeyman
certificate of competency the applicant must have:
(i) Worked in the electrical construction trade for a
minimum of eight thousand hours, of which four thousand hours
shall be in industrial or commercial electrical installation
under the supervision of a master journeyman electrician or
journeyman electrician and not more than a total of four thousand
hours in all specialties under the supervision of a master
journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master specialty
electrician working in that electrician's specialty, or specialty
electrician working in that electrician's specialty. Speciality
electricians with less than a four thousand hour work experience
requirement cannot credit the time required to obtain that
specialty towards qualifying to become a journeyman electrician;
or
(ii) Successfully completed an apprenticeship program
approved under chapter 49.04 RCW for the electrical construction
trade.
(g) To be eligible to take the examination for a specialty
electrician certificate of competency the applicant must have:
(i) Worked in the residential (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(a)), pump and irrigation (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(b)), sign (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(d)),
limited energy (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(e)),
nonresidential maintenance (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(g)), or other new nonresidential specialties as
determined by the department in rule under the supervision of a
master journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master
specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty, or
specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty for
a minimum of four thousand hours;
(ii) Worked in the appliance repair specialty as determined
by the department in rule, restricted nonresidential maintenance
as determined by the department in rule, the equipment repair
specialty as determined by the department in rule, the pump and
irrigation specialty other than as defined by (g)(i) of this
subsection or domestic pump specialty as determined by the
department in rule, or a specialty other than the designated
specialties in (g)(i) of this subsection for a minimum of the
initial ninety days, or longer if set by rule by the department.
The restricted nonresidential maintenance specialty is limited to
a maximum of 277 volts and 20 amperes for lighting branch
circuits and/or a maximum of 250 volts and 60 amperes for other
circuits, but excludes the replacement or repair of circuit
breakers. The initial period must be spent under one hundred
percent supervision of a master journeyman electrician,
journeyman electrician, master specialty electrician working in
that electrician's specialty, or specialty electrician working in
that electrician's specialty. After this initial period, a
person may take the specialty examination. If the person passes
the examination, the person may work unsupervised for the balance
of the minimum hours required for certification. A person may
not be certified as a specialty electrician in the appliance
repair specialty or in a specialty other than the designated
specialities in (g)(i) of this subsection, however, until the
person has worked a minimum of two thousand hours in that
specialty, or longer if set by rule by the department;
(iii) Successfully completed an approved apprenticeship
program under chapter 49.04 RCW for the applicant's specialty in
the electrical construction trade; or
(iv) In meeting the training requirements for the pump and
irrigation or domestic pump specialties, the individual shall be
allowed to obtain the experience required by this section at the
same time the individual is meeting the experience required by
RCW 18.106.040(1)(c). After meeting the training requirements
provided in this section, the individual may take the examination
and upon passing the examination, meeting additional training
requirements as may still be required for those seeking a pump
and irrigation, or a domestic pump specialty certificate as
defined by rule, and paying the applicable fees, the individual
must be issued the appropriate certificate. The department may
include an examination for specialty plumbing certificate defined
in RCW 18.106.010(10)(c) with the examination required by this
section. The department, by rule and in consultation with the
electrical board, may establish additional equivalent ways to
gain the experience requirements required by this subsection.
Individuals who are able to provide evidence to the department,
prior to January 1, 2007, that they have been employed as a pump
installer in the pump and irrigation or domestic pump business by
an appropriately licensed electrical contractor, registered
general contractor defined by chapter 18.27 RCW, or appropriate
general specialty contractor defined by chapter 18.27 RCW for not
less than eight thousand hours in the most recent six calendar
years shall be issued the appropriate certificate by the
department upon receiving such documentation and applicable fees.
The department shall establish a single document for those who
have received both an electrical specialty certification as
defined by this subsection and have also met the certification
requirements for the specialty plumber as defined by RCW 18.106.010(10)(c), showing that the individual has received both
certifications. No other experience or training requirements may
be imposed.
(h) Any applicant for a journeyman electrician certificate
of competency who has successfully completed a two-year program
in the electrical construction trade at public community or
technical colleges, or not-for-profit nationally accredited
technical or trade schools licensed by the workforce training and
education coordinating board under chapter 28C.10 RCW may
substitute up to two years of the technical or trade school
program for two years of work experience under a master
journeyman electrician or journeyman electrician. The applicant
shall obtain the additional two years of work experience required
in industrial or commercial electrical installation prior to the
beginning, or after the completion, of the technical school
program. Any applicant who has received training in the
electrical construction trade in the armed service of the United
States may be eligible to apply armed service work experience
towards qualification to take the examination for the journeyman
electrician certificate of competency.
(i) An applicant for a specialty electrician certificate of
competency who, after January 1, 2000, has successfully completed
a two-year program in the electrical construction trade at a
public community or technical college, or a not-for-profit
nationally accredited technical or trade school licensed by the
workforce training and education coordinating board under chapter 28C.10 RCW, may substitute up to one year of the technical or
trade school program for one year of work experience under a
master journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master
specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty, or
specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty.
Any applicant who has received training in the electrical
construction trade in the armed services of the United States may
be eligible to apply armed service work experience towards
qualification to take the examination for an appropriate
specialty electrician certificate of competency.
(j) The department must determine whether hours of training
and experience in the armed services or school program are in the
electrical construction trade and appropriate as a substitute for
hours of work experience. The department must use the following
criteria for evaluating the equivalence of classroom electrical
training programs and work in the electrical construction trade:
(i) A two-year electrical training program must consist of
three thousand or more hours.
(ii) In a two-year electrical training program, a minimum of
two thousand four hundred hours of student/instructor contact
time must be technical electrical instruction directly related to
the scope of work of the electrical specialty.
Student/instructor contact time includes lecture and in-school
lab.
(iii) The department may not allow credit for a program that
accepts more than one thousand hours transferred from another
school's program.
(iv) Electrical specialty training school programs of less
than two years will have all of the above student/instructor
contact time hours proportionately reduced. Such programs may
not apply to more than fifty percent of the work experience
required to attain certification.
(v) Electrical training programs of less than two years may
not be credited towards qualification for journeyman electrician
unless the training program is used to gain qualification for a
four thousand hour electrical specialty.
(k) No other requirement for eligibility may be imposed.
(2) The department shall establish reasonable rules for the
examinations to be given applicants for certificates of
competency. In establishing the rules, the department shall
consult with the board. Upon determination that the applicant is
eligible to take the examination, the department shall so notify
the applicant, indicating the time and place for taking the
examination.
(3) No noncertified individual may work unsupervised more
than one year beyond the date when the trainee would be eligible
to test for a certificate of competency if working on a full-time
basis after original application for the trainee certificate.
For the purposes of this section, full-time basis means two
thousand hours.
[2006 c 185 § 7. Prior: 2003 c 399 § 601; 2003 c 211 § 1; 2002 c 249 § 5; 1997 c 309 § 3; 1988 c 81 § 13; 1983 c 206 § 14; 1980 c 30 § 4. Formerly RCW 19.28.530.]
NOTES:
Effective date -- 2003 c 399 §§ 501, 601, and 701: "Sections *501, 601, and 701 of this act are necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and take effect immediately [May 20, 2003]." [2003 c 399 § 902.]
*Reviser's note: Section 501, chapter 399, Laws of 2003 was vetoed by the governor.
Part headings not law -- 2003 c 399: See note following RCW 19.28.006.