You can now access Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) 40- and 24-hour initial and 8-hour refresher courses through our proprietary Learning Management System, Drive EHS.  

Who needs a HAZWOPER certification? 

OSHA’s HAZWOPER training requirements apply to five distinct groups of employers and employees who are exposed or could potentially be exposed to hazardous substances and are engaged in one of the following: 

  1. Clean-up operations — required by a governmental body, whether federal, state, local, or other involving hazardous substances — that are conducted at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites
  2. Corrective actions involving clean-up operations at sites covered by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) as amended (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.)
  3. Voluntary clean-up operations at sites recognized by federal, state, local, or other governmental body as uncontrolled hazardous waste sites
  4. Operations involving hazardous wastes that are conducted at treatment, storage, and disposal facilities regulated by Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 264 and 265 pursuant to RCRA, or by agencies under agreement with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement RCRA regulations
  5. Emergency response operations for releases of, or substantial threats of releases of, hazardous substances regardless of the location of the hazard

Do online HAZWOPER courses meet OSHA standards? 

HAZWOPER training traditionally takes place in a classroom and includes hands-on learning, which has caused some confusion about if online 8-, 24-, and 40-hour courses satisfy OSHA requirements. Not every online HAZWOPER certification program meets the requirements, outlined below. 

OSHA’s website states

“It is OSHA’s policy that use of computer-based training by itself would not be sufficient to meet the intent of the standard’s various training requirements. There are two primary considerations for you to explore before deciding whether to take an online HAZWOPER course.

  1. For HAZWOPER training, it is essential that the trainees have hands-on experience and exercises to provide an opportunity to become familiar with equipment and safe practices in a non-hazardous setting. The purpose of hands-on training (e.g., donning and doffing of protective equipment, using air monitoring equipment) is two-fold: first, to ensure that workers have an opportunity to learn by practical experience and second, to assess whether workers have mastered the necessary skills. You need to know how this hands-on training will be provided.
  2. Also, in an effective training program, it is critical that trainees have the opportunity to ask questions where material is unfamiliar to them. In a computer-based training program, this requirement may be accomplished through the provision of access to a telephone hotline or an email contact at the time the training is being conducted so that trainees will have direct access to a qualified trainer at the time their questions are raised.”

TriMedia’s safety team has decades of experience administering HAZWOPER 40-, 24-, and 8-hour training. By enriching the online experience, they’ve worked to ensure that your HAZWOPER training will be just as effective and fulfill all of the regulatory requirements as traditional in-person learning. 

OSHA criteria  Online HAZWOPER training through Drive EHS
It is essential that the trainees have hands-on experience and exercises to provide an opportunity to become familiar with equipment and safe practices in a non-hazardous setting. 
  • Provides web-based exercises and scenarios that test the learners’ ability to respond to incident events
  • Highly recommends that employers incorporate site-specific and hands-on training to supplement the web-based exercises
  • Custom training module hosting and development available 
It is critical that trainees have the opportunity to ask questions where material is unfamiliar to them
  • Provides access to qualified HAZWOPER personnel via phone or email to answer questions during your sessions

Why take HAZWOPER courses online? 

Online HAZWOPER training is an excellent solution for your workforce if: 

  1. Scheduling challenges are making it difficult for you to find time for your workforce to complete in-person training
  2. The number of your workers that require HAZWOPER training cannot safely gather at this time 
  3. You have only a couple of workers who need HAZWOPER training, making it more cost-prohibitive to hire in-person training providers
  4. Your need for HAZWOPER training is time-sensitive 

Courses start at just $35/person for the 8-hour refresher, $130/person for the 24-hour initial training, and $245/person for the 40-hour initial training. To register, contact our safety department at (248) 287-8080.