Provisions of the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 enacted certified classes of operators (A, B, & C) to be responsible for their underground storage tank (UST) systems.
The deadline for the states to enact the new requirement was in 2012. The industry was thus inundated with new companies that were suddenly experts in the field of fuel systems, and its related components. Individuals who had never been involved with either a UST installation or even a system component installation that passed a state test were suddenly certified “experts”.
Hiring a third party contractor to be assigned as the B Operator can be a risky endeavor if the company or individual chosen does not have the expertise, education, or experience of installing and maintaining fuel systems. The B Operator is responsible for understanding pertinent regulations and also understanding how the components work and operate. How many fuel systems has your B Operator designed and installed? Does your B Operator have any certifications with any of the petroleum equipment manufacturers?
See our skilled Technician’s certifications and licenses.
Some companies offer A Operator assignment services along with the B Operator assignment services. We often advise against the same contractor (or same company) to act as both A and B Operators. A conflict of interest can arise if an A Operator is responsible to oversee and manage the corrective action repair of a failed B Operator inspection. A separation of these responsibilities is less likely to be a conflict of interest if the inspecting B Operator contractor isn’t reporting inspection failures to itself, the A Operator contractor.
If you seek guidance or a cost proposal to assign a site with one of our certified and experienced B Operators, please Contact Us.