It was DEFINITELY 100% represented as a lifetime cert when i first did it in late 1990s.
I guess they might have realized some things change over time and maybe there ought to be occasional recurrent training to stay on top of those changes? I know that 6 out of 7 LDS store fronts (and even some hydro shops), can't cogently talk about what the rules and regs and requirements are when I've asked. Heck, there's one shop in North Texas that seems to think that Aluminum decays and has a half-life of 20 years, beyond which they can no longer fill tanks... I guess it becomes magnesium at that point? Incompetence at the LDS level is a point I keep hearing from the mugs that want to say it's only a money grab by dive stores. Perhaps then, we are all coming to the consensus that unregulated inspections are junk and the only accepted inspections/stickers should be from a current PSI-PCI inspector???
That 737 I bought a seat on to RTB next month, I trust United be doing some recurrent training on they pilots and copilots... Though maybe not the baggage handlers judging from my last trip south.
Lifetime training for a given job is just out and out stupid. Don't care if it's limited to ditch digging, which would seem straight forward. But in reality isn't. (Pretty sure there are OSHA regs that touch trenching.)
I suspect, but don't know, that the 3 year recurrence requirement may have something to do with the ability to comply with OSHA and/or DOT-mandated HAZMAT training for handling high-pressure gas and cylinders. And the ability of certified VIP inspectors to provide HAZMAT training for high-pressure cylinder handlers. Which is required to be mandated as compulsory.
Or, since the stickers say the inspection was done to OSHA, CGA and PSI-PCI standards, the inspector might need to stay on top of any changes to those bodies of knowledge. If not, and one says he/she are performing to those standards, based on a 30 year old "lifetime" cert class, well, that's a whole can of legal whoop ass he/her/they/it might be handing a plaintiff's attorney at some unspecified future point in time to examine in front of the jury.