WAC 296-65-015
Training course approval. (1) Basic and
refresher asbestos training courses may be sponsored by any
individual, person, or other entity having department approval. Approval shall be contingent on the sponsor's compliance, as
applicable, with licensing requirements established by the state
board of vocational education.
(2) Prior to receiving department approval, each course
shall be evaluated by the department for the breadth of knowledge
and experience required to properly train asbestos workers or
supervisors. Course content shall be carefully scrutinized for
adequacy and accuracy. Training techniques will be evaluated by
the department.
(3) Sponsors of basic and refresher training courses
proposed for approval must submit:
(a) Background information about course sponsors;
(b) Course locations and fees;
(c) Copies of course handouts;
(d) A detailed description of course content and the amount
of time allotted to each major topic;
(e) A description of teaching methods to be utilized and a
list of all audio-visual materials; the department may, in its
discretion, request that copies of the materials be provided for
review. Any audio-visual materials provided to the department
will be returned to the applicant;
(f) A list of all personnel involved in course preparation
and presentation and a description of the background, special
training and qualifications of each. Instructors shall have
academic and/or field experience in asbestos abatement. The
department may, in its discretion, require proposed instructors
to pass an examination on subjects related to their respective
topics of instruction;
(g) A description of student evaluation methods and a copy
of the required written examination including the scoring
methodology to be used in grading the examination;
(h) A description of course evaluation methods;
(i) Any restrictions on attendance (language, class size,
affiliation, etc.);
(j) A list of any other states that currently approve the
training course;
(k) A letter from the course provider that clearly indicates
how the course provider meets the EPA MAP requirements; and
(l) The amount and type of hands-on training for initial
training courses.
(4) Application for training course approval and course
materials shall be submitted to the department at least sixty
days prior to the requested approval date. Materials may be
mailed to:
Asbestos Certification Program
Department of Labor and
Industries
P.O. Box 44614
Olympia, Washington 98504-4614
(5) The decision to grant or renew approval of a basic or
refresher asbestos training course shall be in the sole
discretion of the department.
Following approval of a basic or refresher asbestos training
course, the department will issue the course sponsor an approval
which is valid for one year from the date of issuance. Application for renewal must follow the procedures described in
subsections (3) and (4) of this section.
Following approval of a basic or refresher asbestos training
course, in recognition that asbestos abatement is an evolving
industry, the department reserves the right to require additional
subjects to be taught and to specify the amount of time which
shall be allotted to adequately cover required subjects. To
assure adequate coverage of required material, each sponsor shall
be provided and required to incorporate into their training
course, a detailed outline of subject matter developed by the
department.
(6) To be considered timely, the training course approval
renewal must be received by the department no later than thirty
days before the certificate expiration date.
(7) Any changes to a training course must be approved by the
department in advance.
(8) The course sponsor shall provide the department with a
list of all persons who have completed a basic or refresher
training course. The list must be provided no later than ten
days after a course is completed and must include the name and
address of each trainee.
(9) The course sponsor must notify the department, in
writing, at least fourteen days before a training course is
scheduled to begin. The notification must include the date, time
and address where the training will be conducted.
(10) A representative of the department may, at the
department's discretion, attend a training course as an observer
to verify that the training course is conducted in accordance
with the program approved by the department.
(11) Course sponsors conducting training outside the state
of Washington shall reimburse the department for reasonable
travel expenses associated with department audits of the training
courses. Reasonable travel expenses are defined as current state
of Washington per diem and travel allowance rates including
airfare and/or surface transportation rates. Such reimbursement
shall be paid within thirty days of receipt of the billing
notice.
(12) The training course sponsor shall limit each class to a
maximum of thirty participants.
(13) The instructor to student ratio shall not exceed
one-to-ten for any of the training required by WAC 296-65-005(13)
and 296-65-007(14).
(14) The department may terminate the training course
approval, if in the department's judgment the sponsor fails to
maintain the course content and quality as initially approved, or
fails to make changes to a course as required by WAC 296-65-015(5). The minimum criteria for withdrawal of training
course approval shall include:
(a) Misrepresentation of the extent of training courses
approval by a state or EPA;
(b) Failure to submit required information or notification
in a timely manner;
(c) Failure to maintain requisite records;
(d) Falsification of accreditation records, instructor
qualifications, or other accreditation information; or
(e) Failure to adhere to the training standards and
accreditation requirements of chapter 296-65 WAC.
(15) Any "notice of termination of training course approval"
issued by the department may act as an order of immediate
restraint as described by RCW 49.17.130.
(16) Recordkeeping requirements for training providers: All
approved providers of accredited asbestos training courses must
comply with the following minimum recordkeeping requirements:
(a) Training course materials. A training provider must
retain copies of all instructional materials used in delivery of
the classroom training such as student manuals, instructor
notebooks and handouts.
(b) Instructor qualifications. A training provider must
retain copies of all instructors' resumes, and the documents
approving each instructor issued by either EPA or the department.
Instructors must be approved by the department before teaching
courses for accreditation purposes. A training provider must
notify the department in advance whenever it changes course
instructors. Records must accurately identify the instructors
that taught each particular course for each date that a course is
offered.
(c) Examinations. A training provider must document that
each person who receives an accreditation certificate for an
initial training course has achieved a passing score on the
examination. These records must clearly indicate the date upon
which the exam was administered, the training course and
discipline for which the exam was given, the name of the person
who proctored the exam, a copy of the exam, and the name and test
score of each person taking the exam. The topic and dates of the
training course must correspond to those listed on that person's
accreditation certificate.
(d) Accreditation certificates. The training providers
shall maintain records that document the names of all persons who
have been awarded certificates, their certificate numbers, the
disciplines for which accreditation was conferred, training and
expiration dates, and the training location. The training
provider shall maintain the records in a manner that allows
verification by telephone of the required information.
(e) Verification of certificate information. Training
providers of refresher training courses shall confirm that their
students possess valid accreditation before granting course
admission.
(f) Records retention and access.
(i) The training provider shall maintain all required
records for a minimum of three years. The training provider,
however, may find it advantageous to retain these records for a
longer period of time.
(ii) The training provider must allow reasonable access to
all of the records required by the MAP, and to any other records
which may be required by the department for the approval of
asbestos training providers or the accreditation of asbestos
training courses, to both EPA and to the department, on request.
(iii) If a training provider ceases to conduct training, the
training provider shall notify the department and give it the
opportunity to take possession of that provider's asbestos
training records.
(17) A representative of the department may, at the
department's discretion, provide an examination as a substitution
to the examination administered by the training course provider. The examination replacement will be used to verify that the
training course is conducted in accordance with the program
approved by the department.