Who Needs 40 Hours HAZWOPER Training?

Ensuring the safety of employees should ideally be of utmost importance to a company. Especially, companies that deals with hazardous waste operations should not comprise with providing the workers the right training to deal with such substance and situations. Coming in exposure to hazardous waste can have terrifying consequences. In worst case scenario, such exposures can result in life-threating diseases and even deaths. Not only does it affect the employee but also the employer. All these can lead to a financial downpour for the employer.

The following blog is written to help you understand certain safety standards created for worker by Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA), through training course known as 40 Hour HAZWOPER Training. The purpose is to eliminate such immediate danger and emphasize on creating a secure working environment for employees and employers both.

HAZWOPER training is designed to prepare frontline workers to perfection, so that they can operate safely during a variety of cases involving dangerous substances. The HAZWOPER 40 hour training covers drills, policies and methods that can reduce the risk of any potential injury or illness to a great extent.

What Is HAZWOPER Training?

HAZWOPER, acronym for ”Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response” is a training course issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure that every worker that is exposed to hazardous working conditions and waste substances is well-trained to deal with the risks.

The standards set by OSHA 40 hour training program primarily focuses on providing needful assistance, practice and knowledge to employers and employees engaged in harmful operations related to hazardous wastes. The training program specifically teaches these workers necessary measures that they can take to remain safe while performing dangerous activities.

Basically, the soul purpose of complying with OSHA standards is to ensure a safe and healthy working environment and provide assistance to form a better workplace for frontline workers such as emergency response workers and clean-up staff.

Now you must be having a series of questions in your mind. Let’s get through those queries one by one.

Who Needs HAZWOPER Training?

Under the standards set by OSHA, workers who are new to uncontrolled hazardous waste or emergency response operations are required to undergo a 40 hour HAZWOPER Training. As ensuring the safety of each and every employee is a crucial aspect of creating a healthy workplace, these recommended standards are for workers that fall under these categories:

Emergency Response Workers.
Clean-up workers who are involved in cleaning of hazardous waste sites.

Workers working in hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities.
General site workers like equipment operators and laborers.
On-site managers and supervisors.

The course is specially designed for workers who are exposed to high risk substances. The 40 hours HAZWOPER program is recommended for emergency response workers, whereas 24 hours HAZWOPER training is considered appropriate for on-site supervisors and managers, who’re occasionally exposed to such conditions.

Types Of Works That Demand HAZWOPER Training

Under the organization, United States Department Of Labor, that operates to provide HAZWOPER training, OSHA has recognized five specific types of works that demand training.

Clean-up of uncontrolled hazardous waste required by a government body, whether Federal or State.
Clean-up operations required at Resource Conservation and Recovery Act(RCRA) sites.
As an emergency response at places where there’s a potential release of hazardous substances.

Operations required at non-TSD facilities.
At waste treatment, storage and disposal (TSD) facilities.

To get a full list of operations that require this 40 hour HAZWOPER training, check out OSHA’s official website.

What Do You Learn Under OSHA’s 40-Hour HAZWOPER Training?

The 40-hour training program briefs the workers on a wide range of topics. From safety and health related topics to their rights as workers. Also the course emphasizes on making the learning relevant to performing complex activities in extreme conditions, involving some of the most dangerous substances out there.

Here’s a list of topics on which the workers are given training.

Decontamination

Hazardous substances
PPE or Personal Protective Equipment
Toxicology

Levels of protection
Medical surveillance
Site emergencies

Fire prevention
Hazardous communication
Electrocution and more.

Along with these topics, you’ll also receive briefing about your rights under OSHA’s workers protection laws and other rules and regulations related to HAZWOPER training. Moreover, you’re also required to complete a three day in-person training as a part of your field training.

Requirements Of HAZWOPER Training

The HAZWOPER certificate lasts up to12 months, after which you can either chose to complete the 40-hour training again or opt for a 8-hour refresher. OSHA holds the employer accountable for making decisions related to providing proper training to their employees and deciding whether the employee is competent enough or posses the requisite skills required to perform HAZWOPER tasks. If the employer believes that the employee is skilled enough and has the required knowledge than they can allow the employee to appear for a 8-hour refresher training.

Benefits Of OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER Training

The aim of this program is to provide workers a guaranteed access to safe and healthy workplace by providing them the required set of skills and knowledge. This HAZWOPER training program is designed to ensure the safety of workers that are in close proximity with life-threating substances. It is indeed a necessity for it to be extremely effective, efficient and inclusive of everyone.

The benefits that this course provides include:

Training Employees For Every Possible Stressful Scenario.

The most dangerous thing that can ever happen to someone is not knowing how to react is a catastrophic disaster. For employees working under extreme conditions, this can cost their lives. While working in areas that contains harmful chemicals, the chances of meeting with a chemical spill or some reaction between chemicals are pretty high. To avoid something like this or to deal with such situations requires knowledge. HAZWOPER training here, trains the employee to respond quickly in such events and move to safety.

Training Employees To Be Proactive

The HAZWOPER training not only prepares employees for emergencies after they happen but they also ensure the safety of workers involved by training them on how to identify the potential risks. Having in-depth knowledge of your surroundings and workplace can help the workers identify critical threats early on and ultimately prevent them from happening. By being proactive and observant, employees can help make the workplace a safer and comfortable place to work in.

Helps In Building Critical Thinking

HAZWOPER training course not only trains the workers to perform well in workplace but somewhere also makes them do well in their personal life. Qualities like being proactive and observant of the surrounding, knowing how and when to react to events builds up their critical thinking, making them more efficient with solving problems.

Some other significant features of this course are:

You’re guaranteed to pass.

You’ve access to course trainers for queries.
You gain both practical as well as theoretical knowledge.
You can train anywhere and anytime, all you need is an internet connection.

Final Thoughts

The above article provides you with an overview of how HAZWOPER training adds value to an employee’s life. Not only does it make the workers proactive and knowledgeable when dealing with challenging circumstances, but it also contributes in making the workplace secure and comfortable. With that said, we hope you found the blog informative and helpful.