All technicians working with heating or cooling appliances must be certified in refrigerant recovery. Any worker who may come into contact with CFCs and potentially release them into the environment is considered a technician by the Environmental Protection Agency. This includes maintenance, repair, installation and disposal workers. Exceptions are given to workers who exclusively dispose of appliances containing five pounds of refrigerant or less and to apprentices working with certified technicians, provided they are carefully monitored at all times.
The EPA has developed four levels of certification for refrigerant workers. Type I covers working with small appliances. Type II deals with high- and very high-pressure appliances only, and does not include training for small appliances or motor vehicle air conditioning systems (MVACs). Type III deals with low-pressure systems. The fourth level of certification is called Universal, and certifies technicians for working with all refrigerant-containing appliances.
All four levels of EPA certification include education about core refrigerant topics: ozone depletion, the Clean Air Act's scope, the Clean Air Act's section 608's regulations, substitute oils and refrigerants that may be used, the recovery, recycling, and reclamation of refrigerants, and safety training, including shipping and evacuation protocols. Each of the three levels then covers techniques and regulations for repairing appliances and recovering any refrigerants specific to that level; for example, Type II training would focus on regulations for high and very-high pressure appliances.
The EPA maintains a list of programs on its website that are approved to train technicians to Section 608 standards. Type I certification can be obtained by passing a mail-in test, and programs that offer such testing are specifically noted. No other levels can be taken via mail. Some institutions also offer Spanish-speaking courses, and these are noted on the website as well.