3 minute read
COHMED – Hazardous Materials Resources at Their Finest
By Katie Morton, Hazardous Materials Specialist, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
Are you involved in the regulation, enforcement or safety of transporting hazardous materials (HM) and dangerous goods (DG)? Regardless of whether you work for industry or enforcement, the annual Cooperative Hazardous Materials Enforcement Development (COHMED) Conference is a must for you!
The COHMED Conference has been around since 1986 and its popularity has grown substantially over the years. It provides one-of-a-kind networking opportunities for enforcement and industry to discuss HM/DG regulatory applicability and processes. Unique training opportunities provide valuable insight into industry and enforcement perspectives, allowing for more well-rounded understanding of the applicability and application of the regulations. Furthermore, the training sessions cover topics of significant interest to the HM/DG transportation industry.
Those responsible for in-house training, refresher/recurrent training or in-service training at their workplace can access the materials and content from each COHMED Conference to incorporate into training for staff who were unable to attend.
Have a competitive bone? Be sure to attend our Hazmat Olympics at the conference. Participants are divided into teams to compete in several rounds of Q and A, accumulating points by giving correct answers to challenging HM questions. Winners walk away not only with bragging rights but also with coveted HM Olympic medals.
Does leadership interest you? There are opportunities for individuals in industry and enforcement to join COHMED leadership and assist with organizing and planning our annual conference and represent interests in your area and field.
Training:
• Learn from some of the best in the business.
• Grow your HM/DG knowledge by attending a diverse selection of training topics.
• Build your HM/DG subject-matter confidence by attending refreshers and reviews of common materials being transported and inspected.
• Get your questions answered by subject matter experts in industry and enforcement.
Networking:
• Present concerns and perspectives about enforcement of regulations.
• Build better working relationships between industry and enforcement partners.
• Provide input into future changes and regulations.
• Meet leaders of various government agencies and organizations responsible for HM/DG safety.
Resources:
• Utilize essential contact information from lead agencies, inspectors and industry leaders for assistance beyond the scope of the COHMED Conference.
• Gain access to training materials and continuing education from quality content shared from conference presentations.
• Meet a variety of subject matter experts whose services can continue to grow your HM/DG program.
• Discover the full potential of the CVSA Learning platform, which is an online learning management system available to CVSA members, and how to navigate our HM course options in CVSA Learning.
Don’t miss out on meeting the who’s who of the hazmat industry, top leaders in safety agencies, HM/DG inspectors and subject matter experts within all levels of enforcement.
The next COHMED Conference is scheduled for Jan. 23-27, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas.
