HAZWOPER & EHS Training Services
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“EHS training” is an umbrella term for compliance courses that satisfy environmental, health, and safety regulations. These regulations are overseen by different government organizations, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), The Department of Transportation (DOT), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Environmental, health, and safety training may be required to participate in activities involving waste classification, hazardous materials shipping, hazardous waste operations, or the commercial use of toxic substances.
Certain acts such as the Resource Conservation Recovery Act, Toxic Substance Control Act, and the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act mandate the completion of specific EHS trainings. It can also be a voluntary decision by safety-conscious companies and organizations. A critical assessment of your EHS program, work activities, facilities, and industry nuances is often the best way to determine which courses are suggested, recommended, or required.
Keep in mind that each course has a different standard and process for certification and renewal.
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EHS training helps to protect the health and well-being of workers and ensures that employers avoid the legal ramifications of failing to comply with rules and regulations. Failure to adhere to policies can lead to citations, fines, and potential civil and criminal liability.
With fines ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, it makes sense to ensure your organization is protected from top to bottom. Often when citations occur, businesses and organizations may contest the decision and negotiate to settle on an agreed-upon solution. EHS training may be the corrective action to mitigate or negate the citation.
Quality health and safety training helps prevent work-related injuries and illnesses. It encourages workers by educating and empowering them to advocate for safer working conditions and environments.
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While it varies organization-to-organization, OSHA does indicate whether a particular EHS training course must be taken in a classroom setting with an instructor or online. For most EHS training courses, Emilcott recommends in-person or ‘proctored’ training. The benefit of a live instructor is that they engage students, actively address questions or areas of concern, and clarify ambiguous or industry-specific issues.
If your business chooses to leverage online training, we recommend that company management thoroughly evaluate the online EHS course by completing the class to assess the student experience.
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OSHA training requirements are dictated by the types of activities in which employees engage and determine which regulations apply to each company and worker. More than 100 of OSHA’s current standards involve training requirements. Some examples where specialized EHS training is needed include working in confined spaces, on elevated platforms, in environments where a respirator is required, around live electrical, and in excavation or trenches.
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Under their voluntary compliance requirements, OSHA mandates that the employer ensures that employees meet all required training under the applicable OSHA standards. However, it is up to the employer to understand what types of training should be provided for the relevant regulations. As such, there is no formal certification process.
Employers don’t have the luxury of claiming ignorance of appropriate standards. OSHA operates under a “first instance penalty,” meaning the first inspection of a facility may result in a citation. This makes environmental, health, and safety somewhat complicated since businesses are left to their own devices. Many will delegate internal management to identify and pursue EHS training, while others will hire experts in the field to evaluate and apply standards to their respective businesses.
The first step a company should take is interpreting standards for your specific business. For example, construction workers must understand OSHA’s 1926 standards. Meanwhile, workers in General Industry must follow 1910 standards. For businesses dealing with hazardous waste operations, OSHA Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standards apply.
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Businesses involved in evaluating or cleaning hazardous waste sites in the United States must meet specific HAZWOPER training requirements. A few examples include construction sites where hazardous substances are present, sites with contaminated soil or groundwater, or projects involving subsurface tanks and pipes.
Employees in this sort of work must complete an initial HAZWOPER certification known as the “HAZWOPER 40-Hr” class. In the case of emergency response technicians, the HAZWOPER 24-hour class is indicated. In both instances, employees are certified for 12 months and must complete an annual update referred to as the “HAZWOPER 8-Hr Refresher.” There is also a special class for supervisors.
OSHA HAZWOPER classes complement other trainings such as the OSHA 30-hour and 10-hour courses designed to address varying areas of construction safety.
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This 8-hour annual HAZWOPER training is a review of the majority of topics covered in the 40-hour course. Content will often vary based on the students’ trade, sector, or skills, as instructors will accommodate the nuances of different industries with unique safety challenges.
In general, a good HAZWOPER refresher will address detection, decontamination, planning, protection, and communication in hazardous waste situations. Course content can be delivered either online or via a live instructor. Since no licensure is required, careful attention should be paid to the instructor’s credentials, expertise, and experience level.
With all HAZWOPER certifications, employers and instructors should maintain clear and complete records to show that they have trained their workforce in compliance with OSHA standards.
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Emilcott offers several EHS training solutions, both online and in person. HAZWOPER training is one of our key offerings, given its high demand. Training can be hosted at one of our training facilities in New Jersey, New York, or North Carolina or sent to your location anywhere in the United States.
Pricing is often dependent on the number of students, location of training, and lead time. We respond promptly to inquiries and work to provide an affordable, convenient, and customized solution aligned with your needs. We also offer pre-scheduled courses for businesses and organizations that cannot organize an entire class or face other internal challenges. We’ll provide a quote once one of our representatives has assessed your requirements.
Emilcott’s EHS training services are offered in
- Northeast US : New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts
- Southeast US: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.
We will also consider additional service areas in the continental United States and Canada if requested.
Individuals can enroll in one of our highly-sought classes scheduled throughout the year at our Training Institute classroom in Florham Park, NJ.
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