SECTION 295.207. Lead Risk Assessor: Certification Requirements

(a) Certification requirements. A person must be certified by the department as a lead risk assessor to engage in lead risk assessment or lead hazard screens of target housing and child-occupied facilities. Certifications issued by the department prior to January 1, 2005, are valid for a period of three years from the date of issue, provided that the appropriate fee is paid on time each year. Certifications issued by the department on or after January 1, 2005, are valid for a period of two years from the date of issue.

(b) Specific requirements of applicants for certification as lead risk assessors:

(1) successfully complete a lead inspector and a lead risk assessor training course, and receive course completion certificates from a department-accredited training program provider;

(2) pass the state certification examination for lead risk assessors; and

(3) meet or exceed the following additional education and/or experience requirements:

(A) a bachelor's degree and one year of experience in a related field (e.g. lead, asbestos, public health, environmental remediation work, or building construction trades); or

(B) an associate's degree and two years of experience in a related field (e.g. lead, asbestos, public health, environmental remediation work, or building construction trades); or

(C) a high school diploma (or equivalent), plus at least three years of experience in a related field (e.g. lead, asbestos, public health, environmental remediation work, or building construction trades); or

(D) certification as an industrial hygienist, a professional engineer, a public health nurse, a professional registered sanitarian, a certified safety professional, a registered architect, or an environmental scientist.

(4) submit a complete application for lead risk assessor certification to the department on a department-issued form and pay the appropriate certification fee within six months of passing the state certification examination.

(c) State certification examination.

(1) In order to take the certification examination for risk assessors, an individual must first successfully complete lead inspector and lead risk assessor courses and receive course completion certificates from a department-accredited training provider and meet or exceed the education and experience requirements in subsection (b)(3) of this section.

(2) The individual shall then register for the examination on a department-issued form prior to taking the examination, provide copies of the lead inspector and lead risk assessor course completion certificates with the registration form, and receive confirmation from the department that the individual is registered for that particular examination and examination date prior to taking the examination.

(3) A score of at least 70% correct must be achieved to pass the examination.

(4) An individual must achieve a passing score on the certification examination in no more than three attempts within six months of completing the appropriate courses.

(5) If an individual does not pass the certification examination within six months of receiving course completion certificates, the individual must retake the original lead inspector and lead risk assessor courses from a department-accredited training provider and receive course completion certificates prior to retaking the certification examination.

(6) An examination fee of $50 for each examination attempt shall be submitted to the department with the department-issued examination registration form. The required fee must be in the form of a check or money order made payable to the Texas Department of Health. The required fee must be received by the department prior to taking the examination. If the required fee is not received by the department prior to taking the examination, the examination results will not be released and become official until payment is received.

(7) Not later than the 30th day after the date a person takes a certification examination, the department shall notify the person of the results of the examination.

(8) A person who fails the examination shall be allowed an opportunity immediately following their notification of the results to analyze their performance on the examination. Further analysis of the examination results may be provided by the department upon written request by the examinee.

(9) A complete lead risk assessor certification application must be received by the department within six months of passing the lead risk assessor state examination in order for the examination results to be eligible for consideration toward granting certification.

(A) A person who fails to submit a complete certification application within 6 months of passing the lead risk assessor state examination, will be required to additionally complete lead inspector and lead risk assessor refresher training courses from a department-accredited training program provider and receive course completion certificates. The individual must then submit a complete certification application, including course completion certificates of the additionally required lead inspector and lead risk assessor refresher training courses, within six months of completing these refresher courses.

(B) If the applicant has not submitted a complete lead risk assessor certification application within three years of passing the state lead risk assessor examination, including documentation of any additionally required refresher training courses, the person will again be subject to the certification requirements of subsection (b) of this section in order to be granted certification.

(d) Responsibilities. The certified lead risk assessor shall be responsible for the following:

(1) conduct a risk assessment and other lead hazard assessment activities (such as screening a residence for lead hazard) in target housing and child-occupied facilities;

(2) complete a written risk assessment report as described in §295.212(c)(11) of this title (relating to Standards for Conducting Lead-Based Paint Activities);

(3) interpret the results of assessments;

(4) identify hazard control strategies to reduce or eliminate lead exposures;

(5) conduct post-abatement soil and dust clearance sampling and evaluate the results; and

(6) perform the same duties of a certified lead inspector as specified in §295.206(d) of this title (relating to Lead Inspector: Certification Requirements).

(e) Application for certification renewal. To become re-certified, the certified risk assessor must successfully complete lead inspector and lead risk assessor refresher training courses from a department-accredited training program provider no sooner than 180 days prior to the risk assessor's certification expiration date and follow the procedures contained in §295.205 of this title (relating to Certification: Applications, Denials, and Renewals).

(1) If a certification holder makes a timely and sufficient application for the renewal of the certification by their current certification's expiration date, the current certification in his/her possession does not expire until the application has been finally approved or denied by the department. The person whose certification has been expired for less than one year may renew their certification by complying with the requirements of §295.205(h) of this title. Certifications that have been expired for a period of one year or more beyond the three-year expiration date cannot be renewed. The person whose certification has been expired for a period of one year or more may become re-certified by complying with the current requirements and procedures, including any examination requirements, for an original certification, subject to the certification requirements of subsection (b) of this section.

(2) To maintain certification, the certified lead risk assessor must seek re-certification by submitting a complete certification renewal application to the department no later than 30 days before the certification expires. If the certified lead risk assessor does not submit an application for re-certification by that date, the application will not be deemed timely filed and the department cannot guarantee that the application will be reviewed and acted upon before the end of the lead risk assessor's certification period.

(f) Fees.

(1) Two-year certifications. Effective January 1, 2005, the fee for a two-year lead risk assessor certification shall be $600. The fee must accompany the initial or renewal certification application.

(2) Three-year certifications. Three-year certifications, which were issued prior to January 1, 2005, shall remain valid for the remainder of their three-year term provided that the annual fee of $300 is paid on time to the department. Upon expiration of this three-year certification, a fee of $600 for a two-year renewal certification shall be paid upon submission of a complete application. Persons who possess a three-year certification that was issued prior to January 1, 2005, must submit an annual fee when due accompanied by a payment coupon issued by the department. In order to retain a three-year certification for the remainder of its term, all annual fees must be paid on time as required. Upon payment of each annual fee, a new photo identification (ID) card will be issued and shall be valid for the time period for which the annual fee was paid. Failure to make a timely annual fee payment may result in the suspension of the certification.

Source Note: The provisions of this §295.207 adopted to be effective February 19, 1996, 21 TexReg 968; amended to be effective May 10, 1998, 23 TexReg 4280; amended to be effective March 23, 2003, 28 TexReg 2347; amended to be effective January 1, 2005, 29 TexReg 11987