Hazardous waste is a serious problem that continues to endanger humans, animals, and environmental quality. However, as workers clean up hazardous waste sites, they face safety and health hazards. OSHA issued the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Standard to protect workers during cleanup operations and help them handle the wastes safely and effectively.

It requires planning to perform hazardous waste cleanup operations in a safe manner. No matter how big or small the operation is, pre-planning is critical to your health and safety. Even emergency spills must be planned for. Plans or programs document what your employer is doing to protect you.

This HAZWOPER training course is designed to focus on the plans and programs that are required prior to conducting any work at a hazardous waste cleanup site. These plans and programs include the comprehensive Safety and Health Program, Site-Specific Safety and Health Plan, Emergency Response Plan, and programs for personal protective equipment (PPE), site control, medical surveillance, spill containment, information, and new technology. The course also touches on a handful of other related programs.

After completing this course, learners will be able to:

• Describe the importance of the Safety and Health Program including elements of the program like organizational structure, the comprehensive workplan, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for safety and health
• Discuss the Site-Specific Safety and Health Plan requirements and elements
• List the types of information that should be addressed in safety meetings and items to consider when performing inspections
• Describe the Emergency Response Plan including the elements within the plan
• List other programs required at hazardous waste cleanup sites including the Site Control Program, confined space entry procedures, decontamination procedures, and the spill containment program

Testing conducted in this online course is designed to reinforce the information presented. A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to receive a certificate of completion. Users are able to repeat the course twice if the pass mark is not achieved.

Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available to download and print.