The keys to finding the best Hazwoper training is to find a training company that has a great reputation, does the training in a hands-on, fun, and engaging way, has a comfortable training space and offers great after course support. To learn about our Hazwoper training click here. In addition to expanded information on how to obtain the best Hazwoper training, below you will find a wealth of information related to Hazwoper Training including the following:
OSHA Hazwoper Training Frequently Asked Questions
A Quick Reference Guide To The Different Hazwoper Courses
If you are not even clear on what Hazwoper training is, go to the bottom of the page for a definition and historical overview of Hazwoper training.
“ACUTE’s trainers have a passion for the material and care about their clients.” – Rob, Tank Manufacturing Company
How To Obtain The Best Hazwoper Training For Your Staff
In order to get the best Hazwoper training for your staff, you are going to have to do some research to find options for training companies. Once you have a list of companies you will need to do some further research on each company and then compare the results. Getting the absolute best Hazwoper training should be every company’s goal as the last thing any organization wants is employee injury or a hazardous substance incident involving their employees. Here is a list of items that are worth evaluating each training company for:
- Determine The Reputation Of The Training Company
- Why It Is Important
- If your organization gets an OHSA audit you will want to have had your employees trained by a company whose reputation will help your audit and not hinder it. In addition, you will want to have worked with a training company that will assist you in completing the audit, not one that won’t want to get involved.
- How To Determine
- The best way to find out this information is to simply search for reviews and complaints for the training company online and see what kind of information you can find. If the company has great reviews and few complaints they are worth considering.
- Why It Is Important
- Is The Training Fun & Engaging?
- Why It Is Important
- In order to remember information, students need to be focused on the information being presented. If the information and training is fun, you know for sure that your employees will be paying attention to the material, leading to better learning.
- How To Determine
- Find out if the Hazwoper training company does hands-on activities that will keep trainees engaged. At a minimum, the trainer should provide scenario discussions, field exercises, hands-on equipment training and hands-on full chemical protective gear training exercises. To find out if a trainer includes these items as a part of their training, simply review their website or give them a call and ask.
- Why It Is Important
- Does The Training Include A Hands-On Component?
- Why It Is Important
- People have different learning styles. Some people learn by reading, some people learn by listening, some people learn by talking about a subject, some people learn by seeing, and some people learn by doing. If the Hazwoper training does not speak to all of these learning styles, you are at risk of your employees not learning the material. We have found that using a hands-on approach to training, combined with classroom exercises, discussions, and videos works best to ensure all learning styles are catered to. Our training facility is conveniently located in the center of south western Ontario in the city of Waterloo. It is a short drive from Toronto and all other major cities in southern Ontario.
- How To Determine
- Just call the training company and ask how they conduct the Hazwoper training courses. If they don’t talk at all about a hands-on training component then they may not be a good choice for your Hazwoper training needs.
- Why It Is Important
- Finding A Comfortable Environment For Learning
- Why It Is Important
- If employees have a learning space that is comfortable and quiet, they will have a much higher chance of retaining the information they are learning. If on the other hand, learning is conducted in a space that has loud noises, or seats and desks that are not comfortable, they will not retain as much information.
- How To Determine
- The simplest and best way to determine how comfortable the learning environment will be is to go visit the location where the training company will conduct the training with your employees. It is helpful to actually sit in the room, and ask yourself if it is a comfortable environment that would be easy to learn in.
- Why It Is Important
- After Training Support
- Why It Is Important
- If your employees need help or have questions you want them to have a way to have their questions answered rather than put themselves at risk.
- How To Determine
- Ask the training provider for some references and give them a quick call to ask what their experience was like with the company and what the after course support has been like. In addition, you can simply ask the training company when you speak with them, what they do for after course completion support.
- Why It Is Important
Once you have scored each company you are considering according to the above five factors, you will have a much better sense for which company will provide the best training to your staff.
OSHA Hazwoper Training Frequently Asked Questions
List Of Common Hazwoper Training Questions:
Can the 8-hour refresher course be given in sections?
Yes, the 8-hour refresher course can be given in sections so long as the full required 8 hours is completed by the employee’s anniversary date.
What happens if refresher training is not completed in 12 months?
The employee should take the next available 8-hour refresher course to stay certified. Note that 23 states in the US operate their own OSHA-approved state safety and health program. In these states, refresher training must be completed by the exact anniversary of the initial training to stay certified and not be required to retake the full 40-hour Hazwoper course.
Refer to: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=21062
What are the HAZWOPER training requirements for on-site workers who are not directly involved in cleanup activities?
All workers who must perform duties at a hazardous waste site that has not yet been characterized but where contamination is expected, do fall under the scope of 29 CFR 1910.120. These workers must work under the direction of an on-site supervisor and a site-specific safety and health plan, and must be fully trained and protected pursuant to the HAZWOPER standard. Only when a site characterization shows that the area is free of potential hazardous material exposure risk can workers without Hazwoper training work on the site.
How good with a computer do you need to be to get Hazwoper training?
Acute is different than many other Hazwoper training companies. For our course, minimal to no computer skills are required to complete the training. We take a very hands-on approach to our training, which includes verbal classroom interaction with experienced instructors, scenarios and field exercises, demonstration, and hands-on training in the care and use of equipment, detailed handouts, videos and quizzes and hands-on full chemical protective gear mock spill exercises.
How long does the Hazwoper training take to complete?
For the 40-hour Hazwoper training Acute offers, the course takes four days to complete and a total of 40 hours over those 4 days. For the 8-hour Hazwoper refresher course Acute offers, the course takes a total of one full 8-hour day.
What happens if I fail the exam?
You are allowed to take the exam multiple times. We will work with you to help you understand what you have done incorrectly on the exam. Each exam you take will be slightly different so you do need to fully learn the material to be able to pass the course.
Will I receive a certificate if I pass the course?
Yes, at Acute we always issue certificates as proof of course completion with a passing grade.
If I have the 24 Hour Hazwoper training and want to upgrade to the 40 hour Hazwoper training, do I need to take the entire training over again.
No, students that have taken the 24 Hour HAZWOPER course can upgrade to the 40 Hour HAZWOPER level by taking an additional 16 hours of training. This can be accomplished by taking a 16 Hour HAZWOPER Upgrade. At Acute, we recommend that students looking to upgrade take the entire 40-hour course, as it is a good refresher given the importance of the material.
Can I do my 3 days of actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained experienced supervisor as part of my training course?
The three-day requirement of direct supervision has nothing to do with the training requirement. This requirement is meant to ensure that newly trained employees are not sent to a work site and left unsupervised, but get supervised field experience for at least three days. It is not part of their training period; it is part of their job function period.
Sources: http://www.safetyunlimited.com/FAQs.asp and https://www.osha.gov/html/faq-hazwoper.html
Quick Reference Guide To The Different Hazwoper Courses
Hazwoper 40-Hour Course: The Initial training for those involved in working at hazardous waste sites.
Hazwoper 8-Hour Refresher Course: This course is a refresher course to keep your Hazwoper certification valid. It must be completed each year within one year from the anniversary date of your 40-hour Hazwoper training.
Hazwoper 24-Hour Course: This course is for employees visiting but not working at an uncontrolled hazardous waste site.
If you are looking for training specific just to spill response click here.
OSHA Hazwoper Regulations
U.S. Legislation = Occupational Safety and Health Standards, Subpart H, Hazardous Materials 1910.120
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765
Canada Legislation = Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999
https://www.ec.gc.ca/pollution/default.asp?lang=En&n=A24743CC-1
What Is Hazwoper Training?
Hazwoper Training is training on the set of guidelines produced and maintained by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration which regulates hazardous waste operations and emergency services in the United States and its territories. In Canada, Hazwoper training falls under the legislation of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, CEPA 1999
A History Of Hazwoper Training
The acronym HAZWOPER was originally derived from the Department of Defense’s Hazardous Waste Operations (HAZWOP). Hazwoper training dates back to World War II and the atomic bomb project. Years later, high-profile hazardous waste spills and accidents spurred legislation in most developed world countries. In 1984 the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Guidance Manual.
