§22-39-4. Safe-State Program designated accreditation agency; duties; fees.

(a) The Safe-State Program, a division of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is hereby designated as the State of Alabama's accreditation agency for such asbestos contractors designated in Section 22-39-3.

(b) The Safe-State Program shall design and publish accreditation plans for each type of worker or contractor in such asbestos abatement area and specify the course of study or training which must be completed before said person can be accredited and permitted to work on asbestos abatement. Such accreditation requirement and training must be at least as stringent as those promulgated for similar workers by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

(c) The aforesaid agency, Safe-State, shall establish and publish regular training periods for contractors and workers involved in asbestos abatement as specified in Section 22-39-3 and upon the successful completion of these programs shall issue an appropriate certificate of accreditation. The agency shall establish decertification and recertification procedures for each type of asbestos worker or contractor.

(d) The Safe-State Program is authorized to charge such fees as are reasonable and necessary for the conduct of the accreditation programs, to adopt and promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement this chapter, and to negotiate and establish reciprocity agreements with other states where equivalency of asbestos contractor accreditation requirements can be demonstrated.

(Acts 1989, No. 89-517, p. 1063, §4.)