You have a question… What is HAZWOPER? Here is a quick video summary.
Where does the standard come from?
Because of the potential for accidents and injuries in the workplace, the United States Department of Labor and OSHA mandate laws and regulations governing workplace safety standards. These standards are specified by 1910.120(a)(1)(i-v) and 1926.65(a)(1)(i-v):
Therefore, the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard (HAZWOPER) applies to five distinct groups of employers and their employees.
- Clean-up operations of hazardous materials and waste.
- Corrective actions involving clean-up operations at sites covered by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA).
- Voluntary clean-up operations at certain uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
- Operations involving hazardous wastes that are conducted at treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.
- Emergency response operations for releases of, or substantial threats of releases of, hazardous substances regardless of the location of the hazard.
What training is required?
40 Hour HAZWOPER Training:
If you are a general site workers that engages in hazardous substance removal or other activities, this training is for you. In addition if you are exposed or potentially exposed to hazardous substances or other health hazards you need this training. You shall receive a minimum of 40 hours of instruction off the site, and a minimum of three days actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained experienced supervisor.
24 Hour HAZWOPER Training requirement:
Additionally, some workers are on site only occasionally for a specific, limited task, therefore, they do not require as much training. In this case, they are less likely to be exposed to more than the published permissible exposure limits. Therefore these employees shall receive a minimum of 24 hours of instruction off the site, and a minimum of one day of training in actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.
8 Hour HAZWOPER Refresher Training:
Subsequently, the same workers are required to receive annual refresher training of at least eight hours.
For more information you might be interested in this article… “HAZWOPER vs. Hazmat Certification”
Training Aids
As you know, the OSHA HAZWOPER standard 29 CFR 1910.120 can be difficult to understand. This leaves many people searching for a simple definition. In response, we have come up with this handy Info-graphic providing quick answers to the common questions:
- What is HAZWOPER?
- What does HAZWOPER stand for?
- What’s the HAZWOPER acronym?
- Who needs OSHA HAZWOPER training?
Share the information with your colleagues! To obtain the PDF version of the below image, click here: What is HAZWOPER – PDF.
