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As an employer you want your workers to receive the hazardous materials training they need to keep them safe and to meet OSHA regulations. However there are ten different HAZWOPER courses plus the 8-hour refresher. Which is right for your employees?

Waste Operations vs. Emergency Response

HAZWOPER means “Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response”. It may not be clear but there are two distinct areas of authority: waste operations and emergency response. Which course a worker needs depends on the area worked in and the level of responsibility expected.

Employees working at a hazardous waste site who use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or are exposed to hazards in excess of OSHA’s 8-hour Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) must take the full 40-hour HAZWOPER General Site Worker course.

Workers at a hazardous waste site who won’t use PPE and whose exposure won’t exceed the PEL can take the 24-hour HAZWOPER Occasional Site Worker program. Supervisors must take the appropriate 24 or 40-hour HAZWOPER training plus the 8-hour Hazardous Waste Supervisors course.

There are another course for TSDF (Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities) workers and anyone who transports or packages for transport hazardous waste requires Department of Transportation (DOT) training.

Most HAZWOPER students don’t work at hazardous waste sites. They work at facilities with the potential for catastrophic release of dangerous materials and they need emergency response training.

Levels of Emergency Response

Rather than the 40-hour HAZWOPER program, employees who may need to respond to a hazardous emergency need a course appropriate to their expected level of response.

First Responder Awareness is the lowest level of expected response. This would be the employee who pulls the alarm or calls 911 and then evacuates the area. There is no OSHA-defined minimum training for this level.

First Responder Operations is a worker who is expected to take action regarding the release without risking exposure to the release itself, such as operating valves from a safe control room. This requires the 8-hour First Responder course.

A First Responder Materials Technician must risk exposure in order to plug or otherwise control the release. A First Responder Specialist supports Materials Technicians with specialized knowledge.

Finally, the First Responder Incident Commander oversees other First Responders and coordinates their actions. These roles require extra training beyond the Operations level course.

Refresher Requirements

The TSDF, 24- or 40-hour HAZWOPER courses require 8-hour refresher courses once per year. It is important to complete the refresher before the year is up or the worker may have to repeat the entire HAZWOPER training course.

OSHA does not give specific guidelines for emergency response refreshers. Many employers simply repeat the original training to be sure their first responders are ready in case of an emergency.

If you are still unsure which course you need, talk to a 40-hour HAZWOPER training provider. This is one of the most common questions they receive and they can help you determine what courses your workers need.