The 40 hour HAZWOPER course provides training for workers, managers and supervisors working at hazardous waste operations and emergency response sites. Keep reading to get all the details, and trust Acute Safety & Safety Services for the best possible HAZWOPER training.

40 Hour HAZWOPER & You: Get All The Details Here

Recommended Attendees

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “workers involved with removing toxic, flammable or corrosive substances who are likely to be exposed to hazardous substances and site health hazards” must sign up for a 40 hour HAWZOPER course.

In other words, if you are involved in emergency response operations dealing with hazardous waste, or perform duties at a waste site where hazardous contamination is present, you need to take this course.

Environmental engineers, environmental remediation workers, and contractors commonly attend this course, for example.

Course Contents

The HAZWOPER training program covers the requirements of the OSHA HAZWOPER standard (29CFR 1910.120). It sets out the minimum training requirements for site workers on hazardous waste sites, environmental remediation, and emergency projects in the United States of America.

The quality and comprehensive nature of these regulations make them applicable to Canadian workplaces that contain environmental contamination or hazardous materials.

Training topics include:

• Legislation and standards
• Hazard recognition and communication
• WHMIS
• Toxicology
• Confined Spaces
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Hazardous materials spill control and HAZMAT
• Decontamination
• Staging
• Disposal of contaminated materials
• Excavation and trenching
• Lock-out/Tag-out
• Air quality monitoring
• Health and Safety Plans (HASP) and Emergency Response Plans
• Practical culmination exercises
• Final exam

You will learn through a mix of teaching and practical exercises, including 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 mock spill exercises, including full chemical protective gear.

The full course (40 hours) is taken over four days. Participants must wear appropriate CSA-certified footwear. Additionally, this program has a very significant practical component that can be physically demanding for some.

For more, read our article on how to find the best HAZWOPER training.

Acute Safety & Safety Services – HAZWOPER Training Course from Acute Safety on Vimeo.

What is HAZWOPER?

HAZWOPER is an acronym for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response.

HAZWOPER came out of the United States Department of Defense’s Hazardous Waste Operations (HAZWOP). More specifically, it was implemented on military bases affected by the disposal of hazardous waste left on-site after World War II.

In 1990, OSHA published Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response 1910.120. This document still remains the standard for health and safety requirements that companies must reach in order to perform hazardous waste clean-up or emergency response.

An updated HAZWOPER website was launched in 2017.

In Canada, HAZWOPER falls under the legislation of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, CEPA 1999

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences defines hazardous substances as “any biologic agent and other disease-causing agent which after release into the environment and upon exposure, ingestion, inhalation, or assimilation into any person, either directly from the environment or indirectly by ingestion through food chains, will or may reasonably be anticipated to cause death, disease, behavioural abnormalities, cancer, genetic mutation, physiological malfunctions (including malfunctions in reproduction) or physical deformations in such persons or their offspring.”

Operation and removal of hazardous substances require comprehensive training.

Trust ACUTE for the best 40 hour HAZWOPER training around!

ACUTE offers a range of health and safety training programs, and with over 100 years of combined experience, our staff have much more than just theoretical teaching to offer.

We have first-hand experience in a variety of workplace situations that allow us to offer the same high-quality training classes across a broad range of subjects.

ACUTE offers the solution for all of your health and safety training needs by emphasizing client participation and establishing rapport in all of our classes. We want to build a relationship with our clients that is foundational to the provision of safety services moving forward.