Staffing.
(1)
A
The professional
operator of record required in rule
3745-7-02 of the Administrative
Code shall, at a minimum, be physically present at the
public water
system and fulfill the time requirements, as detailed in table 2, and perform
technical operation as assigned by the owner of a
public water system or their
designee. Time spent working on equipment within the service area of a
public
water system, as part of a
professional operator of record's normal job
responsibilities,
shall count
counts toward the minimum staffing time requirements.
Table 2. Minimum staffing requirements for a professional
operator of record
|
System classification
|
Staffing requirement
|
|
Class A without treatment or only treating with a
cartridge filter
|
At least 30 minutes per week.
|
|
Class A with treatment
|
2 days per week for a minimum of 1 hour per
week.
|
|
Class I
|
3 days per week for a minimum of 1.5 hours per
week.
|
|
Class II
|
5 days per week for a minimum of 20 hours per
week.
|
|
Class III and IV
|
5 days per week for a minimum of 40 hours per
week.
|
(2)
Distribution system staffing.
(a) The owner of
a class I distribution system shall ensure that a professional operator of
record or a professional operator that is certified in the field of water
distribution or water supply, class A operators excluded, performs visits to
any portion of the distribution system at least three days per week. The owner
of the distribution system shall maintain documentation regarding their
authorization of individuals other than the professional operator of record to
perform these visits. The individual performing the visit shall document the
visit in the log book and report any problems to the professional operator of
record.
(b) The owner of a class II
distribution system shall ensure that a professional operator of record or a
professional operator that is certified in the field of water distribution or
water supply, class A operators excluded, performs visits to any portion of the
distribution system at least five days per week. The owner of the distribution
system shall maintain documentation regarding the authorization of individuals
other than the professional operator of record to perform these visits. The
individual performing the visit shall document the visit in the log book and
report any problems to the professional operator of record.
(3) Exceptions.
(a) During periods when the public water
system is not producing or treating water it shall not be necessary to meet the
staffing requirements in paragraph (C)(1) of this rule.
(b) Upon application by the owner of the
system using a form acceptable to the
director, and the
director's approval of
the system operating plan described in paragraph (C)(3)(b)(i) of this rule, the
director shall reduce the minimum staffing requirement for the
professional
operator of record of a class II, III, or IV
public water system to no less
than five days a
week for a minimum of ten hours per
week. The
director shall
not grant a reduction to a
public water system where a
professional operator of
record cannot respond to operational problems within one hour, a
public water
system that has a history of noncompliance with maximum contaminant levels,
treatment techniques, sampling, reporting, or any other violations related to
the
public water system, or a
public water system under formal enforcement.
(i) Public water systems shall submit an
operating plan for the system as part of the application for a staffing
reduction. The operating plan shall include a description of the level of
automation and
continuous monitoring at the facility, a standard operating
procedure for any such automation or
continuous monitoring equipment, and a
detailed operations schedule showing the number of professional operators, the
certification level, and the number of hours spent per
week at the
public water
system. The description of the
continuous monitoring shall include a
description of the calibration frequency, verification of calibration and
records maintenance. Reductions in minimum staffing for the
professional
operator of record may be granted in accordance with the criteria in Table 3
and Table 4 of this rule, either singly or in combination, based on the
information provided in the system's operating plan. In no case shall a
reduction of greater than thirty hours per
week be granted for a class III or
IV facility, or ten hours per
week for a class II facility.
Table 3. Reductions in minimum professional operator of record
staffing based on facility staffing levels
|
Professional operator of record staffing may be
reduced by 5 hours per week if:
|
Professional operator of record staffing may be reduced
by 10 hours per week if:
|
Professional operator of record staffing may be reduced
by 15 hours per week if:
|
Professional operator of record staffing may be reduced
by 20 hours per week if:
|
|
Plant staffing at class III or IV water treatment
plants
|
There is another professional operator certified at a
level no more than 2 classes below that of the public water system onsite at
the water treatment plant 2 hours per day 5 days per week
|
There is another professional operator certified at a
level no more than 2 classes below that of the public water system onsite at
the water treatment plant 4 hours per day 5 days per week
|
There is another professional operator certified at a
level no more than 2 classes below that of the public water system onsite at
the water treatment plant 6 hours per day 5 days per week
|
There is another professional operator certified at a
level no more than 2 classes below that of the public water system onsite at
the water treatment plant 8 hours per day 5 days per week
|
|
Plant staffing at class II water treatment
plants
|
There is a minimum of a
class I professional operator onsite at the water treatment plant 3 hours per
day 5 days per week
|
There is a minimum of a
class I professional operator onsite at the water treatment plant 4 hours per
day 5 days per week
|
Not applicable
|
Not applicable
|
|
Plant staffing at class II water treatment
plants
|
There is a Class
1
minimum of a class I professional
operator in training onsite at the water treatment plant for 6 hours a day 5
days per week
|
There is a Class
1
minimum of a class I professional
operator in training onsite at the water treatment plant for 8 hours a day 5
days per week
|
Not applicable
|
Not applicable
|
Table 4. Reductions in minimum professional operator of record
staffing based on level of automation or continuous monitoring
|
Professional operator of record staffing may be reduced
by 5 hours per week if:
|
Professional operator of record staffing may be reduced
by 10 hours per week if:
|
Professional operator of record staffing may be reduced
by 15 hours per week if:
|
Professional operator of record staffing may be reduced
by 20 hours per week if:
|
|
Automation or continuous monitoring at class II, III or
IV plants
|
The water treatment plant has supervisory control and
data acquisition ("SCADA") and continuous monitoring for MCL and treatment
technique monitoring (turbidity, fluoride,
pH, flow, and temperature
and chlorine residual, if applicable)
. Fluoride and chlorine if fed by the
facility.
|
The water treatment plant is automated with continuous
monitoring for the parameters required in the 5 hour reduction
|
The water treatment plant is automated with continuous
monitoring for the parameters required in the 5 hour reduction and the water
treatment plant must also have personnel onsite at the water treatment plant or
an electronic notification system that notifies the professional operator of
record when there are problems with the water treatment plant
|
The water treatment plant is automated with continuous
monitoring for the parameters required in the 5 hour reduction and an
electronic notification system or certified professional operators on each
shift that will notify the professional operator of record when there are
problems with the water treatment plant. The water treatment plant must also
have the ability to be operated remotely or have a certified professional
operator respond within 30 minutes
|
(ii)
Any change in the circumstances under which the reduction was approved (e.g.,
retirement of a
professional operator listed in the approved staffing plan,
loss of the
professional operator of record, reduction in the workforce,
removal or failure of automation or
continuous monitoring, etc.) will require
that the system immediately return to compliance with the minimum staffing
requirements in paragraph (C)(1) of this rule. This provision
shall
does not
preclude a
public water system from submitting a modified operating
plan.
(iii) For a system operating
plan to receive director's approval under table 4 of this rule, continuous
monitors shall be calibrated in accordance with manufacturer standards or
applicable regulations, whichever is more stringent. Calibration verification
shall be conducted at least once per week or in accordance with applicable
regulations, whichever is more stringent. Records of the calibrations and
verifications shall be maintained for three years.
(c) The
professional operator of record of a
class II, III, or IV
public water system or class II water distribution system
may be replaced by a backup
professional operator or a
facility specific operator with a certificate one classification lower
than the
public water system's classification for a period of up to thirty
consecutive days. The use of this provision does not require notification to
the agency.
Facilities who do not have a designated
professional operator of record are excluded from this exemption. The
operational records shall clearly indicate every time the backup
professional
operator is being used to meet the minimum staffing requirement. This provision
may not be used to routinely circumvent minimum staffing requirements. In the
case of systems which utilize an established flex work schedule of four
ten-hour days, the use of a
professional operator with a certificate one
classification less than the facility to staff the facility on the fifth day of
the
week shall not be considered an attempt to circumvent the minimum staffing
requirements.
(d) Upon proper
justification, such as military leave
, loss of an
operator, or long term illness, the
director may authorize the
replacement of the
professional operator of record for a class II, III, or IV
public water system or class II water distribution system by a backup
professional operator (facility specific operators
excluded) with a certificate one classification lower than the facility
for a period of greater than thirty consecutive days. Such requests shall be
made in writing to the district office in which the system is
located.
(e) If the designated
professional operator of record is unable to meet the minimum staffing
requirements at a class A
, class I water distribution
system, or class I
public water system, then a
professional operator with
a certificate equal to or higher than the
public water system may serve as the
professional operator of record until such time as the designated
professional
operator of record is
available. The operational records shall clearly indicate
every time the backup
professional operator is being used to meet the minimum
staffing requirement. The use of this provision does not require notification
to the agency unless the use of the backup
professional operator exceeds thirty
consecutive days. In the event the use of a backup
professional operator under
this provision exceeds thirty consecutive days, the owner or
professional
operator shall provide notice in accordance with paragraph (A)(1) of rule
3745-7-02 of the Administrative
Code.
(f) Any professional operator
fulfilling the role of a backup professional operator shall be held responsible
for any violations that occur during the period when they are acting as the
backup professional operator.
(g)
In the event a
public water system has more than one
water treatment plant
within one hundred feet of another
water treatment plant, the
public water
system may submit a request on a form acceptable to the
director, for a fifty
per cent reduction of the hourly minimum staffing requirements for each
water
treatment plant. The request shall include documentation of the distance
between the two facilities and documentation that the facilities are not under
enforcement and have been in compliance with maximum contaminant levels,
treatment techniques, sampling, reporting and
professional operator
certification requirements for the three years prior to the request. Upon
receiving a
complete application, the
director may approve the minimum staffing
reduction. Any change in the circumstances under which the reduction was
approved (e.g., enforcement action entered, violation of the
professional
operator certification requirements, monitoring violations, etc.) will require
that the system immediately return to compliance with the minimum staffing
requirements in paragraph (C)(1) of this rule. This provision
shall
does not
preclude the
public water system from submitting a modified operating plan. A
reduction granted under this provision in combination with any other reductions
available in this rule shall not reduce the minimum staffing requirements at a
class II, III or IV facility to less than five days per
week for a minimum of
ten hours per
week.
(h)
Class II, III, IV treatment plants or class II
distribution systems may be exempt from staffing requirements on federal
holidays, up to a maximum of twenty per cent of the weekly minimum staffing
requirement (both in days and hours), without prior agency approval, provided
the following criteria are met:
(i)
System is not under formal enforcement.
(ii)
The operator of
record, or appropriately certified backup operator, can respond in person to an
emergency within one hour.
(i)
An operator of
record of a class III or IV treatment plant, may attend offsite meetings
related to operations and administration of the public water system, for a
maximum of ten per cent of the facility's weekly minimum staffing requirement
(in hours), without prior agency approval, provided the following criteria are
met:
(i)
System
is not under formal enforcement.
(ii)
The operator of
record, or appropriately certified backup operator, can respond in person to an
emergency within one hour.
(iii)
The operator of
record records the offsite meeting in the logbook.
(iv)
The system does
not have a minimum staffing reduction approved in accordance with paragraph
(C)(3)(b) of this rule.
