Why You Need UST Operator Training
Written by: Brian Pottebaum, Director of Training Services
PMMIC has been providing professional UST operator training classes for over 20 years. In Fall of 2010, PMMIC revamped the training classes to comply with federal and state A/B operator requirements. Hopefully, you were able to attend a training session to meet the requirements, but more importantly to gain invaluable knowledge related to UST system operation, maintenance, and safety.
If you were not able to attend one of our classes, or you want to attend again as a refresher, you are in luck! PMMIC just announced the in-person classes scheduled for 2024. These sessions are FREE to eligible owners and operators of regulated facilities for a limited time. Don’t miss this opportunity!
If you have already attended but want to attend again, we can accommodate that as well. Registration is required for everyone and if you are attending for a second time, you will be charged a small registration fee.
Get registered here and mark your calendars! All classes will be held in person at the FUELIowa offices in Urbandale, IA. The classes are scheduled to run from 8:30AM to 12:30PM. The dates for the upcoming classes are as follows:
- Thursday, February 1, 2024
- Tuesday, April 9, 2024
- Thursday, June 6, 2024
- Tuesday, August 6, 2024
- Thursday, October 3, 2024
- Tuesday, December 10, 2024
PMMIC A/B Operator training provides an intense educational experience that will meet the needs of your company, your customers, and UST regulations. In addition to the requirements for A/B/C operators, some of the other topics covered include UST system component identification and operation, release detection requirements, spill and overfill prevention, emergency response procedures, facility safety, financial responsibility and an in-depth discussion on the recent EPA operation and maintenance requirements.
Requirement
The EPA operator training guideline outlines three classes of UST operators:
- Class A operator has primary responsibility to operate and maintain the underground storage tank system (i.e. owner/supervisor),
- Class B operatorimplements applicable UST regulatory requirements and standards in the field (i.e. manager), and
- Class C operator is an employee and is, generally, the first line of response to events indicating emergency conditions (i.e. clerk).
Each regulated UST facility must designate a person for each class, and in some cases that may be the same person for two or all three classes. It might even be the same person at more than one facility. The operator must be appropriately trained for the class they are designated. Although the regulation only requires a minimum of one individual to be designated in each class, it is highly recommended to have multiple people trained and designated in each class as back-up. Currently there is no limit to the number of individuals per facility that are eligible for the FREE operator training. For example, if you have a regulated UST facility and you have two other employees beside yourself that need or want to be certified as Class A/B operators, all three of you are eligible to attend the training free of charge, regardless of which session you attend.
All facilities must now have trained operators readily available at all hours of operation to respond to suspected or confirmed releases, equipment shut-offs or failures, and other unusual operating conditions. Class A or Class B operators should be immediately available for telephone consultation with the Class C operator when a facility is in operation. It is a good practice to have multiple people certified as Class A/B and Class C operators to cover all situations, such as vacation, travel, sickness, etc.
Class C operators must know how to respond to petroleum spills, overfills, alarms, and other emergency situations when they occur. Written basic operating instructions, emergency contact names and telephone numbers, and basic procedures specific to the facility should have been provided to all future Class C operators and readily available on site. This will be a part of your future UST Compliance Inspections.
All operators must maintain records (i.e. certificates) documenting that they received the appropriate training. That also means that these records must be readily available for review if requested by the regulatory agency, similar to the leak detection, cathodic protection, and financial responsibility records you are currently maintaining.
Retraining required?
Yes, if your facility is determined by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to be out of compliance with regulatory requirements, the Class A and/or Class B operators will be required to be retrained. There are some states that do require periodic retraining, however there are many other states that do not require retraining. In those states it is currently encouraged that all classes of operators are routinely retrained or attend refresher courses. In Iowa, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not require retraining for any Class of operator unless your facility is found to be out of compliance. If you are unsure if it is required, you will need to check with your local regulatory department.
Extra Benefit to PMMIC Training!
PMMIC has been training owners/operators and providing training and continuing education courses to installers, inspectors, and regulators for several years. This operator training is structured around the new regulatory course requirements, and covers everything in UST operations, but it is the 20 plus years of UST underwriting/claims experience and over 25,000 facility inspections that add the extra value to our course. This is your opportunity to ask the experts questions about UST operation, maintenance, and regulatory requirements.
Also, PMMIC has teamed with R&A Risk Professionals and FUEL Iowa to make this premier course readily available to all their members and operators in the state of Iowa.
How do you get this training?
PMMIC will be providing certified training for Class A and B operators again this year. This training will also include specific training instructions for Class C operators, as an approved Class A or B operator (most likely during employee orientation) can train them. Our classroom training will be very thorough, yet very understandable. This complete training package will include presentation, comprehensive review, examination, and certification!
Registration and more training course opportunities will always be available on our website at https://pmmic.com. Please contact our office immediately with any questions.