Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 13, September 23, 2024
Subpart
1.
Scope.
The commissioner shall certify a person provided the person
can demonstrate the completion of:
A.
ASME provisional certification as described in Standard for the Qualification
and Certification of Resource Recovery Facility Operators, American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) QRO-1-1994, incorporated by reference in part
7011.1205, for chief facility
operators, shift supervisors, and control room operators of municipal waste
combustors; or
B. the coursework
and examination program set forth in subpart
3.
Subp. 2.
Personnel who shall be
certified.
The following personnel shall be certified through the
process established in this part:
A.
for Class I, II, III, A, C, or D waste combustors, the chief facility operator
and shift supervisors; and
B. for
Class IV waste combustors, the operator supervisor.
Subp. 3.
Requirements for operator
certification.
To be certified, a person must demonstrate the skill,
knowledge, and experience necessary to operate a waste combustor, by meeting
the criteria of item A or B.
A. A
certified operator of a Class IV waste combustor shall:
(1) hold a high school diploma or equivalent,
or demonstrate five years of experience in incinerator operation, general
industry, industrial process, or power plant operation;
(2) complete at least 16 hours of training
approved by the commissioner which are designed to ensure competency to operate
a Class IV waste combustor;
(3)
complete the certification process described in subpart
4; and
(4) pass the examination described in subpart
5.
B. A certified operator of a Class I, II,
III, A, C, or D waste combustor shall comply with the requirements in subitem
(1) or (2).
(1) Persons who possess a
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry boiler license of at least second
class engineer, Grade B, shall:
(a) have one
year of experience operating a steam generation plant or Class I, II, III, A,
C, or D waste combustor at the licensure level of at least second class
engineer, Grade B, and complete at least 24 hours of training approved by the
commissioner which are designed to ensure competency to operate a Class I, II,
III, A, C, or D waste combustor;
(b) complete the certification process
described in subpart
4; and
(c) pass the examination described in subpart
5.
(2) Persons who do not meet the
qualifications of subitem (1), unit (a), shall:
(a) have three years of experience operating
a Class I, II, III, A, C, or D waste combustor or in power generation and
complete at least 24 hours of training approved by the commissioner which are
designed to ensure competency to operate a Class I, II, III, A, C, or D waste
combustor;
(b) complete the
certification process described in subpart
4; and
(c) pass the examination described in subpart
5.
Subp. 4.
Certification process.
A.
Application for certification shall be made in writing on a form provided by
the commissioner.
B. Within 15 days
of receipt, the commissioner shall review the application for certification and
determine the adequacy of the information included in the application. If the
commissioner determines that additional information or documentation is
necessary to assess the eligibility of the applicant, the commissioner shall
notify the applicant. The application shall be considered incomplete until the
applicant provides the required information.
C. The commissioner shall notify an applicant
of eligibility for certification.
Subp. 5.
Examinations.
A. The commissioner must approve an
examination for the different classes of waste combustors and must not delegate
this responsibility. The examination must be administered as a written closed
book examination.
B. For
certification of a person to operate a Class I, II, III, A, C, or D waste
combustor, the examination shall be in three areas, divided as follows:
(1) 25 percent of the questions on solid
waste collection, transfer, and management covering, but not limited to, solid
waste composition, collection techniques, seasonal and industrial impact on the
character of solid waste, ash disposal, landfills, composting, environmental
regulations and requirements, and public perceptions;
(2) 25 percent of the questions on theory
covering combustion, chemistry, thermodynamics, material science, waste
combustor design principles, mechanical and electrical operation and
technology, air pollution control technology theory, and air emission stack
monitoring;
(3) 50 percent of the
questions on the operation of a waste combustor covering material handling
equipment, ash handling and disposal operations within the facility, waste
combustor design applications, general operations and maintenance procedures
and techniques, control room operations and troubleshooting, operation of
pollution control devices, and continuous emissions monitors and their
calibration.
C. For
certification of a person to operate a Class IV waste combustor, the
examination shall be as follows:
(1) 30
percent of the questions shall cover basic principles, including principles of
combustion, products of combustion, solid waste characteristics, and air
pollutants;
(2) 30 percent of the
questions shall cover equipment including incineration equipment
characteristics, automatic control equipment, and emission monitoring
equipment; and
(3) 40 percent of
the questions shall cover incinerator and monitoring equipment operation
including typical operating problems and solutions, maintenance procedures,
incinerator operation, ash handling, and solid waste feed management
systems.
D. A minimum
grade of 70 percent shall be required to pass.
E. An applicant who fails to pass the
examination shall be eligible to retake the examination whenever it is next
offered by an institution approved by the commissioner.
Subp. 6.
Certificates.
Within ten days of the examination date, the institution
administering the certification examination shall provide to the commissioner a
list of individuals who completed the training and those who successfully
passed the examination.
The commissioner shall issue a certificate when the applicant
has met all necessary conditions prescribed in subpart
1.
Certificates are valid for three years.
Subp. 7.
Renewal.
A. A certified individual shall apply for
certificate renewal no later than 30 days prior to certificate expiration. The
application for renewal must include evidence that the person has, during the
preceding three years, earned credit for attending training courses in the
direct operation and maintenance of and environmental compliance for a waste
combustor, including personnel training described in part 7011.1275, for the
number of hours as identified as follows:
(1)
Class I, II, III, A, or C, 24 hours; and
(2) Class IV, eight hours.
An individual whose certificate has expired must comply with
item B or C to renew the certificate.
B. If an individual applies for certificate
renewal within one year following the expiration of the certificate, the
individual must meet the training requirements of item A or subpart 3 at the
time of application for renewal before the certificate will be renewed without
an examination.
C. If an individual
applies for certificate renewal more than one year following the expiration of
the certificate, the individual is eligible for recertification when the
individual complies with subpart 3.
Subp. 8. [Repealed, 41 SR 763]
Subp. 9.
Sanctions.
A. Criteria. The commissioner shall refuse to
issue, renew, or reinstate a certificate, suspend or revoke a certificate, or
use any lesser remedy against an individual for any of the following reasons:
(1) submittal of false or misleading
information or credentials in order to obtain or renew a certificate;
(2) failure to meet the requirements for
renewal certification; or
(3)
incompetency, negligence, or inappropriate conduct in the performance of duties
as a certified operator.
B. Investigation. Upon receiving a signed
written complaint which alleges the existence of grounds for sanctions against
a certified operator, the commissioner may initiate an investigation. No
revocation, suspension, or other sanction shall be imposed before notice is
given to the certified operator and an opportunity for a contested case hearing
is provided.
C. Procedures.
Procedures for contested case hearings shall comply with the provisions of the
Administrative Procedure Act, Minnesota Statutes, chapter 14.
D. Recertification. An individual whose
certificate has been revoked shall not be entitled to apply for recertification
until at least one year following the effective date of revocation or for any
longer period of time specified in the revocation order.
E. Reinstatement after suspension. The
commissioner shall reinstate a suspended certificate if the individual whose
certificate has been suspended fulfills the terms of the suspension order and
meets all applicable requirements of the rules for obtaining a
certificate.
Subp. 10.
Certification deadlines.
All individuals employed on June 20, 1994, who require
certification as described in this part shall obtain certification by June 20,
1996, or on completion of the normal start-up of a waste combustor, whichever
is later.
Subp. 11.
Record keeping.
A waste combustor owner or operator shall maintain a record
of personnel who complete either the Environmental Protection Agency municipal
waste combustor operator training course, or an equivalent course. The record
shall include documentation of training completion.
Statutory Authority: MS s
116.07
