The acronym HAZWOPER stands for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. It refers to a set of guidelines established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA first announced HAZWOPER regulations in 1990, and they have been revised several times since. HAZWOPER regulations require people working in certain industries dealing with hazardous waste to undergo training to properly protect their own health and the health of others.
What Do HAZWOPER Regulations Cover?
Specifically, HAZWOPER applies to employers and their employees who are exposed or could be exposed to hazardous substances while working on one of the following operations:
- Clean-up operations required by a government body (which can be federal, state, or local) at a site containing uncontrolled hazardous waste
- Clean-up operations covered by the corrective action provisions of the Resource Recovery and Conservation Act (RCRA)
- Clean-up operations not legally required at sites that are nonetheless recognized by a government body as containing hazardous waste
- Operations at sites that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste under federal regulation or in agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency
- Emergency response operations to clean up or prevent the release of hazardous substances, no matter what the location
Anybody working in one of these situations needs to undergo 24-40 hours of training and keep up with regular refresher course requirements.
What Does HAZWOPER Training Cover?
As outlined above, there are three essential types of situations where people might need HAZWOPER training, each with different requirements. For those dealing with clean-up operations, HAZWOPER training gives them the on-the-ground knowledge needed to safely enter a chemical contamination site and perform clean-up and remediation duties where the amounts and concentrations may not be known. People who work at hazardous waste disposal, treatment, or storage facilities may not be dealing with "uncontrolled" hazardous waste, but they are dealing with daily deliveries of a variety of waste types and have to learn how to handle each type. Finally, emergency responders have to have specialized training that specifically teaches them how to respond to situations that demand rapid containment and correction.
Founded in 1927, Yannuzzi Group is now in its third generation of family ownership serving New Jersey and
projects throughout the United States by providing construction and infrastructure services,
demolition,
environmental remediation, and more. We are
committed to safety on every job that we are a part of, and ensure that all our employees have the required training and certification to meet the demands of any job. Call us today at 908.218.0880 to learn more.
