Does OSHA Require Hands-On Training For the 40-hour HAZWOPER Training?

Who Needs 40-Hour HAZWOPER Training?

40-hour HAZWOPER training is intended specifically for anyone who is expected to be exposed to or work in environments with high levels of hazardous substances. If you are new to handling or working with hazardous substances, you will also need to complete a 40-hour training course in to educate and prepare yourself to do so. Specific occupations that would require 40-hour HAZWOPER training would most likely include:

• General site workers
• Equipment operators
• On-site management and supervisors
• Treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) facility workers
• Environmental health and safety workers
• Hazardous materials technicians and specialists

If you are less directly exposed to or required to handle hazardous substances, you may consider taking a 24-hour HAZWOPER course instead of the 40-hour one. This is usually for personnel who have similar roles to those above but are off-site and for emergency responders.

Does OSHA HAZWOPER expire?

40-hour HAZWOPER training does expire and is not a one-and-done deal. OSHA requires you to take an 8-hour refresher course every twelve months, regardless if you have taken a 24 or 40-hour training course. If you don’t take a refresher course by the 12-month mark of the day you completed your training, your employer may require you to retake the entire 40-hour course.

Is OSHA 40 the Same As HAZWOPER?

A 40-hour OSHA course, or OSHA 40 course, refers to any course that is intended for workers who will face the highest exposure to a hazard in their workplace. If this applies to you, this means you will be onsite, handling hazardous substances, materials, or machinery directly. 40-hour training will prepare you best for what you will face and how to be safe when working.

That being said, the only course that OSHA mandates to be 40 hours in length is the HAZWOPER training. Because of this, these terms generally mean the same thing and are used interchangeably.

What Are the Requirements For HAZWOPER Trainers?

OSHA does not specifically require trainers to become certified to train in HAZWOPER courses. The information they need to teach is found within the OSHA Requirements for HAZWOPER training. OSHA Requirements state that trainers can be qualified by academic degrees, field experience, and/or completion of training courses related to HAZWOPER operations.

This means they should be knowledgeable in what goes on with hazardous substances and waste operations enough to be able to teach about it. At Hard Hat Training, we provide “Train The Trainer” courses as part of our training kits. This module teaches employers how to train their employees and is completely OSHA Aligned.

Does OSHA Require Hands-On Training For The 40-hour HAZWOPER Training?

The 40-hour HAZWOPER training course contains 40 hours’ worth of information and skills. In addition to that information, yes, you are required to take hands-on training as well. At Hard Hat Training, we can provide you with everything you need for a 40-hour HAZWOPER training course, including hands-on training.

OSHA does not endorse or approve any training program or trainers, as per their policy. For this reason, they do not outline how much hands-on training you need to receive. They only require that there is a hands-on training component to HAZWOPER training before the required three-day. This means that you cannot receive 40-hour HAZWOPER training entirely through a classroom or online course.

OSHA believes that it would be a significant risk to you and others around you if there was not a hands-on training element to the HAZWOPER training. This training needs to come from qualified trainers and include opportunities to refresh and learn certain skills. These skills include such things as proper use of PPE and safe practices, which are taught in a non-hazardous environment.

In addition, the hands-on training cannot be administered with a generic, one-size-fits-all approach. It needs to be prepared specifically for whatever site the employees receiving the training are going to be working in.

Can 40-Hour HAZWOPER Training Be Obtained Online?

You can only receive a portion of the 40-hour HAZWOPER training online. The 40-hour portion of the training, including all the information, written quizzes, and the written exam, can be provided through the online training course. However, as stated above, it is not sufficient for you if you are going to work with hazardous substances.

You are also required to take hands-on training and receive field experience to complete a 40-hour HAZWOPER training course. Sometimes, virtual simulators have been used to provide training that is both online and hands-on. This training method has been approved by OSHA as acceptable along with hands-on training for exercises such as donning and doffing PPE. HAZWOPER hands-on simulators cannot be a complete replacement for hands-on training.

What Happens If Hands-On Training is Not Completed?

In order for you to complete your 40-hour HAZWOPER, all portions of the training need to be followed and completed. If you are not provided with hands-on training from your trainer or service that provides your training, then you cannot be certified.

If a training service knowingly fails to provide you with hands-on training with the rest of the course training, the trainer or provider risks violations and fines for breaking OSHA Requirements regarding 40-hour HAZWOPER training.

OSHA HAZWOPER Standards

The standards, as outlined by OSHA for HAZWOPER, include the following key provisions and employer requirements:

• Safety and health programs
• Site characterization
• Site control
• Training
• Medical surveillance
• Engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Monitoring
• Informational programs
• Handling drums and containers
• Decontamination
• Emergency response by employees at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites
• Illumination
• Sanitation at temporary workplaces
• New technology programs
• TSD facility operations

These standards are detailed further in 29 CFR 1910.120, which states who, where, and what is involved with HAZWOPER operations. These standards can be understood better by the five distinct groups of employers and the employees they apply to.

1. Clean-up operations: These operations are carried out at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and facilities as mandated by federal, local, state, and other government bodies.
2. Corrective actions: These operations refer to clean-up operations at sites covered by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
3. Voluntary clean-up operations: These are operations carried out at sites recognized by federal, state, local, or other government bodies as being uncontrolled waste sites.
4. TSD facilities operations: These operations are conducted as regulated by RCRA or agencies under agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to uphold RCRA regulations.
5. Emergency response operations: These operations refer to sudden, substantial releases of hazardous substances that need to be dealt with immediately regardless of location.

Field Experience vs. Hands-On Experience

Field experience and hands-on experience are not the same regarding the requirements OSHA set for HAZWOPER training. Each training has a different amount of experience that is required. In this case, 40-hour HAZWOPER training requires a three-day field experience after all other requirements have been met.

The hands-on experience is meant to come after the 40 hours of online or classroom training, and before the three days of field experience. The purpose of it is to provide practical training with equipment and safety practices in a non-hazardous environment. This way there is no actual risk of exposure to hazards so that you will be morefully trained and prepared before actually being at risk in an emergency.

Once you have mastered the necessary skills in hands-on experience, you will be ready to move on to the field experience portion of the HAZWOPER training.

Hard Hat Training’s 40-Hour HAZWOPER Course

There are many OSHA complaint sources that provide 40-hour HAZWOPER courses. Here at Hard Hat Training, however, we provide a 40-hour HAZWOPER course with variable options. These options include:

• Online training
• Onsite training
• Training kits
• Train The Trainer courses

Our training is OSHA Aligned and is remarkably thorough and accessible. Since there are hands-on requirements for HAZWOPER training, our online course includes a practical assessment and checklist to guide trainers in their hands-on training prior to the field experience. The included material for the hands-on portion allows employers and trainers to easily prepare for site-specific training. This may include adjusting the checklist for their site-specific PPE and other equipment.

Our 40-hour HAZWOPER training contains twenty modules that cover everything you need to know about hazardous substances and how to handle them. In order, the modules are:

• Introduction
• Regulations and overview
• Site characterization
• Site monitoring
• Hazard recognition
• Toxicology
• Hazard communication
• Material handling
• Illumination, sanitation, and new technology
• Excavation
• Confined spaces
• Fall protection
• Lockout/Tagout
• Hazardous locations
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Decontamination procedures
• Medical surveillance
• Fire prevention
• Emergency procedures
• Conclusion

The conclusion of our course gives you a full review of everything that will be covered in the final exam. This way you will be more prepared and not need to spend extra time reviewing information to take the exam. Try one of Hard Hat Training’s HAZWOPER courses today!

HAZWOPER: What You Should Know

COVID-19 hasn’t slowed our writing team down. This year, they have finished writing our new HAZWOPER 40-hour training. They completed much of this feat while isolated at home during a state-wide lockdown. Needless to say, the entire Hard Hat Training team is excited to round off our HAZWOPER courses with the 40-hour; our customers can now fulfill all their HAZWOPER training needs in one place. Read on to find the answers to some common questions about HAZWOPER.

What is HAZWOPER?

The Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER) was enacted by OSHA in 1990. It is designed to protect workers involved in the initial stages of a chemical release emergency, the subsequent clean-up of a site once the emergency has been stabilized, and the clean-up of previous chemical contamination.

Who Needs Training?

HAZWOPER is designed to reduce the risks of chemical exposure to employees who will be working on an uncontrolled hazardous waste site or a treatment, storage and disposal facility (TSDF). It is also designed for emergency responders. (OSHA)

More specifically, these employees need HAZWOPER:

• Those who may be exposed to high concentrations of poisonous substances
• Those who may be exposed to chemicals that pose explosion or fire hazards
• Personnel entering sites with IDLH atmospheres
• Personnel who may be exposed to an oxygen-deficient atmosphere
• Those who are in charge of emergency response, including evacuations due to IDLH conditions
• Those performing confined space entry
• Anyone who supervises employees performing the above work

Can HAZOPER Training be Completed Online?

Traditionally, HAZWOPER has been taught through conventional, instructor-led programs. However, with technology improvements, online safety training is becoming more accessible to employers. It offers a great deal of flexibility and can be a more cost-effective option than on-site training. HAZWOPER training is well-suited to the e-learning format.

Of course, there are limits to taking HAZWOPER courses online. There are essential components to HAZWOPER that can only be completed on site (donning and doffing PPE, for example). We provide a checklist to help guide trainers, if needed, in this practical assessment; this allows each employer to use the specific PPE and equipment they’ll have on site. It also allows employers to address site- or job-specific hazards.

How Long is HAZWOPER Certification Good For?

Certification is valid for 12 months, at which time refresher (8-hour) training is required in order to stay certified. However, if you have missed a refresher training course, you must attend the next available course. If a substantial amount of time has passed since your initial (24-hour or 40-hour) or refresher training, then you may need to repeat the initial training. The time frame within which it would be necessary to provide extensive retraining must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, employees must be trained sufficiently to allow them to perform their expected job duties in a safe and healthful manner.

If you need initial or refresher training for HAZWOPER, visit us at hardhattraining.com.

Good luck and stay safe!