Understanding the Hazwoper Standard from the Beginning

There are many materials used in industrial process which is potentially dangerous to our health and the environment. With the increasing sophistication and complexity of the modern industrial processes, the use of hazardous materials such as solvents, chemicals and rare metals are also in rise.

Ignoring the proper usage of hazardous materials can have disastrous consequences. It is therefore, important that the employees know how to recognize these potentially dangerous substances, how to properly handle them safely and how to dispose them correctly.

For the regulation of handling hazardous waste, the EPA created the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1976. In the year 1986, OSHA was given the responsibility to protect the employees who work with the hazardous materials and waste (HAZMAT). In response to that, OSHA created a regulatory standard known as the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Standard. This standard was formally adopted in 1990.

The HAZWOPER standard specifies various requirements for the employees training depending on the employee’s level of involvement with hazardous materials. These levels include;

• Clean-up operations –required by a governmental body, whether state, federal or local that involves hazardous substances at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites;

• Voluntary clean-up operations at sites that is designated by state, federal or local governmental body as uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.

• Corrective actions involving clean-up operations at sites that is covered by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976

• Hazardous waste operations that are conducted at storage, treatment and disposal facilities regulated by Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 264 and 265 pursuant to RCRA, or by the agencies under agreement with Environmental Protection Agency of U.S to implement RCRA regulations; and

• The emergency response due to the release, or the substantial threat of a release of the hazardous materials regardless of the location.

Therefore, HAZWOPER is a regulatory standard that specifies the training employees have to work with the hazardous materials safely. Its main purpose is to protect workers from the dangers of working with the hazardous substances. It also includes certain aspects of how to handle and dispose hazardous materials that are used at worksites and how to respond to an accident or emergency that involves these materials.