Title 18 . Environmental Conservation

Chapter 78 . Administrative Enforcement

Section 455. Standards of practice

18 AAC 78.455. Standards of practice

(a) Except for a person certified under 18 AAC 78.480, a person certified under this chapter

(1) for installation or reconfiguration, shall be at the job site when work requiring certification of installation or reconfiguration is being performed, including

(A) preparation of an excavation before receiving backfill and while the backfill is being placed;

(B) any movement of a tank at a job site, including a transfer of the tank from a vehicle used to transport the tank to the job site;

(C) placement of a tank and its associated piping into the excavation, including placement of an anchoring device, backfill, or strapping;

(D) placement or connection of a piping system to a tank;

(E) installation of cathodic protection;

(F) completion of a backfill and filling of an installation;

(G) covering a UST with concrete, asphalt, or other similar substance;

(H) preparation for and installation of a tank lining system; and

(I) installation, replacement, or repair of release detection equipment;

(2) for closure, shall be at the job site when work requiring certification of closure is being performed, including

(A) excavation of a tank or piping before removal from the ground;

(B) emptying the contents of a tank or its piping, cleaning a tank, or filling a tank with a solid, inert material;

(C) removal or disposal of a tank's contents after cleaning; and

(D) movement of a tank on the job site, including transfer of the tank to a vehicle used to transport the tank from the job site; the requirements of this subparagraph do not apply to a tank that has been cleaned in accordance with the requirements of American Petroleum Institute Standard 2015, adopted by reference in 18 AAC 78.085(g) (2);

(3) for tank tightness testing, shall

(A) be at the job site when tightness testing of the UST or associated piping is being performed; or

(B) verify the tightness testing results if a statistical inventory reconciliation method is being used;

(4) for cathodic protection testing shall be at the job site when testing of cathodic protection is being performed;

(5) for inspection, shall

(A) refer to the department's operations inspection report form; and

(B) no later than 30 days after completing the inspection, sign and submit to the owner or operator a completed inspection report on a form supplied by the department; the report must contain a description of any

(i) deficiencies found;

(ii) corrective action taken by the inspector or a person certified under this chapter; and

(iii) recommendations of the inspector or a person certified under this chapter for further necessary corrections;

(6) may perform only those installations, repairs, reconfigurations, closures, tightness tests, cathodic protection tests, and inspections for which the person is certified under this chapter and which

(A) conform to accepted technical standards imposed by federal, state, and local law;

(B) safeguard human life, health, safety, and property; and

(C) protect the environment;

(7) shall immediately report to the owner or operator a release or suspected release of petroleum detected at a job site or the surrounding area;

(8) shall sign or affix the person's certification number only to an installation, repair, closure, reconfiguration, tightness test, cathodic protection test, or inspection that was done under the person's direct control and supervision; and

(9) shall, after completing a UST installation, reconfiguration, repair, closure, test, or inspection file with the owner or operator department a completed checklist on a form supplied by the department that

(A) bears the person's signature and certification number;

(B) provides the registration number of the tank; and

(C) verifies that the items on the checklist have been completed for the tank.

(b) The requirements of this section

(1) must be disclosed by a person certified under this chapter to the person's client or employer; and

(2) are in addition to the certification requirements of 18 AAC 78.415.

History: Eff. 3/25/91, Register 118; am 8/4/94, Register 131; am 11/3/95, Register 136; am 1/22/99, Register 149; am 8/15/99, Register 151; am 1/30/2003, Register 165

Authority: AS 46.03.020

AS 46.03.365

AS 46.03.375