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OSHA 40 HR Hazwoper Training

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) standard 1910.120 regulates employee safety when working in hazardous waste operations and emergency response (hazwoper) environments. Included in the standard are specific training requirements, based on job function and potential exposure to hazardous materials (hazmats), for workers at these sites. Forty hours of offsite instruction and three days of onsite, supervised, practical training are required as initial training for general site workers.

  1. Initial Training

    • Site workers who may be exposed to hazardous substances at hazardous waste sites must undergo 40 hours of offsite hazwoper training and three days of onsite, supervised training. These workers include general site workers involved in hazardous waste cleanup, storage, treatment or disposal; managers and supervisors of these operations; and emergency workers responding to sites where hazardous materials have spilled or leaked. Those who work at the hazardous waste site only occasionally or are not exposed to health hazards, need only attend 24 hours of offsite instruction and one work day of onsite, supervised training. These might include surveyors, monitors or similar employees.

    Training Content

    • According to OSHA standard 1910.120(e)(2), the 40 hour offsite and 3 day onsite hazwoper training must instruct workers how to recognize, reduce and prevent hazards. The training must also include safe practices and procedures for: using personal protective equipment; handling hazmat drums and containers; decontamination; spill containment; and confined space entry. Instruction on the site's engineering controls, the emergency response plan, medical surveillance, and safety and health personnel must also be provided during training.

    Other Training Requirements

    • Some employees will need to complete additional training to comply with the OSHA standard. Managers and supervisors must complete an additional eight hours of safety training. Emergency responders must complete additional emergency-specific training. Additionally, all certified hazwoper employees must complete eight hours of refresher training every year which will cover the required OSHA material as well as site-specific incidents and information. Site-specific training is required for all workers new to a hazardous waste site regardless of past training and experience. This is also true for those certified as equivalent to training.

    Equivalent Training

    • Under some conditions, previous training or work experience may substitute for the 40 hours of initial offsite training. If the employer can verify the employee's previous training was equivalent to the OSHA 40-hour training requirement, either through compliant, documented instruction, or through previous certification, the employee may be certified as equivalent to training. The previous training may consist of academic instruction or practical experience at another site. However, all employees must attend site-specific training at each new hazardous waste site.

    Certification

    • Workers and supervisors must be certified to work at the hazwoper site. After completion of the initial training, workers and supervisors will receive certification from the instructor or trainer in the form of a printed certificate. Workers found to be equivalent to training must also receive written certification from the employer.

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