For the purposes of parts 4695.2500 to 4695.3200, the words, terms, and phrases listed in subparts 2 to 9 shall have the meaning stated herein, unless the language and context clearly indicates that a different meaning is intended.
"Acceptable continuing education activity" means a learning experience in which a registrant has participated, evidence of which he/she submits to the council as part of the application for registration renewal, and which meets the requirements stated in parts 4695.2500 to 4695.3200.
"Applicant" means a person who applies pursuant to parts 4695.2500 to 4695.3200, either initially or on a renewal basis, to be registered as an environmental health specialist or sanitarian.
"Contact hour" means an instructional session of 50 consecutive minutes excluding coffee breaks, registration, meals (with or without speaker), or other social activities.
"Council" means environmental health specialists/sanitarians advisory council as referenced in parts 4695.3100 and 4695.3200.
"Environmental health specialist/sanitarian" means a person registered pursuant to these rules to plan, organize, manage, implement, and evaluate one or more program areas comprising the field of environmental health. Environmental program areas include but are not limited to: food, beverage, and lodging sanitation; housing; refuse disposal; water supply sanitation; rodent, insect, and vermin control; accident prevention; swimming pool and public bathing facility sanitation; radiation safety; air and water quality, noise pollution, and institutional and industrial hygiene. Implementation includes community education, investigation, consultation, review of construction plans, collection of samples and interpretation of laboratory data, enforcement actions, review and recommendation of policy and/or regulation.
"Registration" or "registered" means that an applicant has been found by the commissioner to meet the qualifications specified in parts 4695.2500 to 4695.3200 to protect environmental health. Only persons so registered are permitted to use the designated titles of "environmental health specialist" or "sanitarian" or the initials "R.S."
"Registration examination" means the examination approved by the commissioner and administered by the commissioner or the commissioner's designated agent. For approval the examination must meet the following criteria:
the examination has been validated by a content validity study which consists of data showing that the examination covers a representative sample of the job tasks, work behaviors, performance skills to be performed on the job for which the applicant is to be evaluated; and/or
the examination has been validated by a criterion related validity study which consists of empirical data demonstrating that the selection procedure is predictive of, or significantly correlated with, job performance and which has a validity coefficient significant at the .05 level of significance; and
validity studies are based upon a review of information about the job for which the examination is to be used, which shall include but is not limited to an analysis of job tasks, work behaviors, or performance skills that are relevant to the job; and
job tasks, work behaviors, or performance skills used as a basis for test developments and validity studies must include but are not limited to the knowledge areas in the definition of environmental health specialist/sanitarian as outlined in subpart 7; and
the examination has been determined to be reliable utilizing the parallel forms or internal consistency methods of estimating reliability and the reliability coefficient is no less than .70; and
the examination is revised or a new form is issued when technical advances in the field indicate the examination should be updated to acknowledge related changes in the definition of environmental health specialist/sanitarian as outlined in subpart 7. The commissioner may adopt for use at the commissioner's discretion any standardized national test which meets these criteria.
MS s 214.13
17 SR 1279
January 21, 2000
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes