Train Employees to Properly Handle Hazardous Chemicals
Would your business understand what to do if a hazardous product spilled at your office? What is considered a "harmful product" anyways? Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) has everything to do with the security of workers, the business' residential or commercial property and the surrounding communities. When it concerns security, being prepared is one of our best defenses to accidents and Chemical Emergencies are no exception!

Who Needs HAZWOPER Training?
If your employees work or are included with any of the following 5 classifications (per OSHA), they will need HAZWOPER training:
1. Clean-up operations - required by a governmental body, whether federal, state, regional, or other including dangerous substances-- that are carried out at unchecked contaminated materials sites;
2. Corrective actions - including clean-up operations at sites covered by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) as modified (42 U.S.C.6901 et seq.);
3. Voluntary clean-up operations at sites recognized by federal, state, regional, or other governmental body as unrestrained contaminated materials sites;
4. Operations involving hazardous wastes - that are carried out at treatment, storage, and disposal centers controlled by Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 264 and 265 pursuant to RCRA, or by companies under contract with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement RCRA guidelines; and
5. Emergency situation reaction operations - for releases of, or significant risks of releases of, dangerous compounds no matter the area of the hazard.
If your employees participate in any of the 5 categories noted above, they need to go through a fundamental 40 hour HAZWOPER training. Training requirements are greatly based on employee job functions and responsibilities.

Examples of Levels of Exposure and Training Needed
Consistent and/or Extensive Exposure-- 40 hours
General website workers and supervisors who can be exposed to dangerous compounds or the removal of those substances will require to go to a 40 hour HAZWOPER training.
Workers involved or exposed to clean-up operations, restorative action involving clean-up operations, voluntary clean-up operations, operations including contaminates materials that are performed at treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, or emergency action operations for the release of dangerous substances.
Periodic and/or Mild Exposure-- 24 Hours
Team members that are coming on to the site only periodically to do keeping track of or surveying. They also require one day of on-site training.
Hazardous Materials
Technician Hazardous Materials
Specialist Incident Commander
Yearly Refresher and First Responders-- 8 Hours
After the initial 40 hour training is completed, OSHA needs participants to take an 8 hour refresher class to preserve their training requirements. OSHA authorizes of companies performing their refresher training in sections to fulfill the requirements of the standard, as long as all of the provisions for refresher training in paragraphs (e), (p), or (q), are met and finished by the anniversary date.
8 hours is a minimum requirement.
Very first Responders are needed to have a minimum of 8 hours of training and need to show competency of all products listed in area 120( 6 )( ii).

Prospective for Contact-- Awareness
OSHA requires HAZWOPER awareness training for all staff members that may find a spill so they know how to without delay call an emergency reaction group. An example might be an energy employee who is on-site but would not directly be associated with the cleanup activities of a spill.
Additional HAZWOPER Training May Be Needed
On a contaminated materials website that has lots of website particular peculiarities the employer may need to train staff members beyond the 40 or 24 hour minimum set by the standard. Workers need to be supplied training that prepares them for their job functions and responsibilities, as specified in the basic requirements in 29 CFR 1910.120(e).
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