This standard addresses five critical areas of expected employer and personnel threat response.

• Compulsory Clean-Up: Is a government required response to threat conditions that exist at an uncontrolled hazardous waste site.

• Voluntary Clean Up: Is a freewill rectification of known dangerous substance conditions.

• Corrective Actions: Are specific EPA regulated clean up operations as pertaining to the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. This is as provided under the RCRA amendment of 1986.

• Emergency Responses: Are the conditioned reactions to spills, leaks, or other forms of hazardous substance release, either preexisting or in eminent threat of coming to pass.

• Waste Treatment Site Operations: Are the specific methods for monitoring, reporting, storing, and disposing of solid waste.

Three Step Path to a 40-Hour HAZWOPER Training Certificate

A 40-hour HAZWOPER training course consists of several overlapping lessons and goals. Each section of the study is designed to satisfy a specific Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirement. Though the order of application may differ between schools, three course divisions will always be included.

• 8-Hour Annual Refresher: Along with detailed reviews of general safety, health, and work practices this course will include updates concerning new hazards, equipment improvements, and advance containment methods.

• 24-Hour General Employee Training: This class provides knowledge and safety skills to those who perform low-risk site activities. The study focuses on danger recognition, OSHA requirements, and the health impact of improper hazardous material handling.

• 40-Hour HAZWOPER Training: Along with various non-hazardous site remediation procedures and environmental assessments, this class incorporates both of the earlier mentioned courses.

The three divisions of study interweave training topics. The following limited list of topics is focused toward the 40-hour class:

• Know and understand OSHA regulations concerning hazardous material handling;

• Chemical properties, including behavior patterns and the impact on personal and environmental health;

• How to recognize and evaluate safety hazards;

• Site evaluation, investigation, and characterization;

• Updates on monitoring and clean-up instruments;

• Label identification and classification;

• Safety plan methods and implementation;

• Procedures for emergency response; and,

• Hands-on containment drills.

Decisions: Who To Train?

The need for HAZWOPER training is based upon community risks, personnel endangerment, and worst-case scenarios. When active employment demands that an employee enter an at-risk environment, they must have adequate knowledge for self-protection. Furthermore, when personnel are required or expected to supply limited sanitization services they must be trained to the first responder level of hazardous containment operations.