Hazwoper refresher training: understanding the standard

HAZWOPER Refresher Training: Understanding The Standard Many materials used in industrial processes are very hazardous to our health and to the environment. With the increasing complexity and sophistication of modern commercial techniques, the use of hazardous materials, such as solvents, chemicals and rare metals, are also on the rise. The wastes produced by these industries are equally hazardous, if not more so.

Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training are designed to inform and secure employees who are a chance of touching hazardous materials. The HAZWOPER Refresher is a set of regulations and operations outlined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the U.S. federal agency responsible for protecting employees of U.S. companies from workplace injuries and harm. OSHA has specified 10 separate courses of education related to safe practices when dealing with hazardous materials. Employees are needed to take different programs depending on which type of facility they work in, their potential contact with hazardous materials and their degree of authority on the job.

Improper handling of hazardous materials can have disastrous consequences. It is, therefore, vital that employees know how to recognize these very hazardous substances, how to deal with them securely, and how to discard them correctly.

The first few levels of courses concentrate on emergency response. The most beginning of HAZWOPER training is known as First Responder Awareness. OSHA has not specified a minimum quantity of needed knowledge, as the expectations for this stage are simply to demonstrate the ability to perform one's duty securely and adequately and the level of training needed to do so vary from place to place. The next level, First - Responder Operations, includes meeting the requirements for First -responder Awareness as well as successfully completing an eight-hour course. Generally, this stage is appropriate for employees who would be needed to take action in the event of a hazardous release but would not face direct exposure to released materials.

Those employees whose duties would need them to threat contact with hazardous materials need next higher level of education. This level, known as Hazardous Materials Technician, includes a 8 hour HAZWOPER Refresher course. Additionally, employees may need to receive additional knowledge in site-specific skills and operations. Similarly, employees who are designated Hazardous Materials Specialists must have 24 hours of training. Their role is typically to concentrate on just one aspect of clean-up or emergency response as part of a team of Hazardous Materials Technicians. The highest level of emergency response training qualifies an employee to be an On-Site Incident Commander. These employees are accountable for supervising other First Responder staff. The quantity and learning include a 24-hour course, plus further training relevant to their specific duties.

HAZWOPER is, therefore, a regulatory standard that identifies the training employees must have to work with hazardous materials safely. Its primary purpose is to guard employees against the dangers of working with hazardous materials. It also addresses certain aspects of how to deal with and get rid of hazardous materials that are present at worksites and how to respond to an emergency or accident that involve these materials.