An individual who services a public pool by maintaining the
cleanliness, water quality and chemical balance of public pools shall be
certified. To be certified an individual must demonstrate knowledge of public
pools. Examples of such knowledge include: pool cleaning, general pool
maintenance, make-up water supply, bacteriological, chemical and physical
quality of water and water purification, testing, treatment, and disinfection
procedures. To ensure that the pool technicians are knowledgeable, said
technician shall attend a training course of national recognition that is
approved by the department of at least 16 hours in length and shall pass a test
acceptable to the department. Certification is conferred upon an individual and
is nontransferable. Certification does not imply any licensure and specifically
not that of contractor as regulated by the Department of Business and
Professional Regulation under Section
489.105(3)(j), (k), or
(l), F.S. A certified pool technician may not
affect the structural integrity of the pool or equipment, and shall not
delegate work to others, including employees, that are not themselves certified
under this section, or otherwise exempt from this provision per Chapter 514,
F.S.
(1) Training shall include the
following study topics for the hours indicated:
(a) Swimming pool calculations 1
hour;
(b) Filter type and
filtration circulation 4 hours;
(c)
Water chemistry - balancing & testing 5 hours;
(d) Spas and warm water pools 1
hour;
(e) Pool and spa maintenance
2 hours;
(f) Operational and safety
requirements 2 hours; and,
(g)
State health code Chapter 64E-9, F.A.C., 1 hour.
(2) Course materials must be provided that
cover the required topics in detail. The course approval shall be contingent
upon their meeting the items listed in subsection (1), above, and the subjects
listed in Section 514.075, F.S. The test approval
shall be contingent upon all of the questions being related to the subject
areas listed in subsection (1), above, and the subjects listed in Section
514.075, F.S., with at least 10%
of the questions from the subject areas in paragraphs (1)(a) through (f),
above, and the remaining 40% covering any of the seven pool subject areas
listed in this rule or Section
514.075, F.S. The minimum
passing score for the test shall be no less than 70% correct for all questions.
There shall be a minimum of 50 questions.
(3) Any individual or organization requesting
the department to review their courses for compliance with the requirements of
this rule, must submit copies of their training materials to the department
prior to providing that training within the state. A copy of the test to be
given, answers to the test questions, and a statement indicating the length of
time a classroom topic will be conducted shall be included. The department
shall review the materials and inform the applicant of its findings within 60
days from receipt of all training materials.
(4) The department shall deem certified any
individual who has been proven certified by a course of national
recognition.
(5) This requirement
does not apply to a person or the direct employee of a person permitted as a
public pool operator under Section
514.031, F.S. Further, persons
licensed under Section
489.105(3)(j), (k), or
(l), F.S., shall be deemed
certified.
(6) Proof of
certification shall be posted conspicuously in the equipment room of each pool
serviced or must otherwise be available for inspection by the
department.
(7) Any reference to
department approval shall state no more than: "This course is approved by the
Florida Department of Health for student certification as a Public Pool Service
Technician under Chapter 514, F.S., and Chapter 64E-9,
F.A.C."
