Brief Description: Revising provisions for electrical trainees.

Sponsors: Representatives Wood, Kenney, Conway, Strow, Sells, Simpson, Hasegawa and Santos.

Hearing Date: 2/16/05

Staff: Jill Reinmuth (786-7134).

Background:

The Department of Labor and Industries (Department) administers electrical contracting and certification laws. These laws establish qualifications for persons to take the examination to become certified journeyman electricians, and requirements for trainees to work in the electrical construction trade.

To qualify to take the examination to become certified as a journeyman electrician, a person must have:

• Worked as a trainee in the electrical construction trade for at least 8,000 hours; or

• Successfully completed a state-approved apprenticeship program in the electrical construction trade.

Up to two years of a technical or trade school program may be substituted for two years of work experience.

To work as a trainee in the electrical construction trade, a person must obtain an electrical training certificate. The trainee must renew the certificate biennially. When renewing the certificate, the trainee must provide the Department with a list of the trainee's employers during the previous biennial period and the number of hours worked for each employer.

A journeyman electrician must supervise a trainee working in the electrical construction trade as a journeyman electrician. The electrician must be on the same job site as the trainee at least 75 percent of each working day. The electrician may supervise one trainee, or up to four trainees enrolled in a technical or trade school program.

Persons who are found in violation of job site supervision requirements must be assessed penalties as specified in Department rules. Current penalties are as follows:

	Failing to provide proper supervision to an electrical trainee		Working as an electrical trainee without proper supervision
First offense	$250	First offense	$50
Subsequent offenses	$500	Second offense	$250
		Subsequent offenses	$500

In addition, hours worked without proper supervision are not considered when determining whether a trainee qualifies to take the examination to become certified as an electrician.

Summary of Bill:

The requirements for renewing trainee certificates are modified. As of July 1, 2006, in addition to the list of past employers and hours worked for those employers, a trainee must provide proof of certain course work. This course work may consist of 16 hours of continuing education courses covering national and state electrical codes or electrical theory, or equivalent courses taken as part of an approved apprenticeship or electrical training program.

The job site supervision requirements, but not the ratio requirements, for trainees who are employed by general electrical contractors performing nonresidential installations are modified. During the first 4,000 hours of work, a certified journeyman electrician must be on the same job site as the trainee 100 percent of each working day. Subsequently, the electrician must be on the same job site as the trainee at least 75 percent of each working day.

Trainees are not subject to fines for working without proper supervision if they are directed by their employers to work unsupervised or left unsupervised by their employers.

Rules Authority: The bill does not address the rule making authority of an agency.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on February 10, 2005.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.