People involved in handling hazardous materials don't just perform their functions without the right knowledge and proper trainings. The Federal government notably the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires the necessary training known as the hazardous materials training or HAZMAT and imposes fines for violations. It also calls for the hazardous waste operations and emergency response standard or OSHA HAZWOPER for specific employers and employees.
HAZMAT covers employers and employees engaged in the transport of hazardous materials using motor vehicles from the loading, unloading and handling to the testing, reconditioning, fixing, modifying and packaging. The DOT today actually requires clerks, drivers, supervisors, warehouse staff and even employees who just sign a manifest to under the HAZMAT training. Employers include any department or agency of the U.S. that represent, mark, certify, sell, offer, test, repair or modify packagings of hazmat that are to be transported or shipped for trade purposes.
The DOT HAZMAT training required by the Federal hazardous materials transportation law is meant to equip hazmat employees with the appropriate knowledge and skills in performing their duties well, heighten their safety awareness and enable them to be an instrument in preventing hazmat incidents. The program includes general awareness, safety and security awareness, in-depth security and driver trainings. After the initial training, follow-up trainings are called for at least once every three years.
Meanwhile, the OSHA HAZWOPER standard covers workers exposed or who have the potential to be exposed to hazardous materials including wastes. The safety training is aimed at enabling them to perform their functions without risking their lives.
These employees are those involved in clean-up operations required by a governmental body at hazardous waste sites, corrective actions that entail clean-up operations, voluntary clean-up operations in areas with hazardous wastes, specific operations that involve hazardous wastes conducted at treatment, storage and disposal facilities and emergency response operations aimed at releasing hazardous substances regardless of the area.
Companies wanting to avail of these HAZMAT and HAZWOPER trainings have to verify the credibility of the provider to make sure they are not wasting their money. Various scams exist on the internet hence, it is highly recommended that an initial check should be done before committing to a training program.
Compliance Solutions is one company that has responded well to the needs of customers for convenient HAZMAT and HAZWOPER trainings with a money-back guarantee. Depending on a firm's needs, it provides training in three ways - through traditional seminars, on-site and online trainings.
The latest additions to its standard trainings are six new compliance request online training courses - eight-hour Spanish HAZWOPER, 24-hour Spanish HAZWOPER, DOT HAZMAT Transportation- Spanish, IATA Transportation of Dangerous Goods, DOT-mandated New Driver Training and Hydrogen Sulfide Training.
Compliance Solutions also conducts seminars that include an eight-hour hands-on training in 57 cities. In fact, it is the only company that provides an online HAZWOPER training for 40 hours which is in accordance to the OSHA regulations and guidelines. Hands-on training is a major requirement by OSHA which believes that it is the only way to train employees and without it, the workers may get into hot water.