OSHA

What Does OSHA Say About Online HAZWOPER Training?

If your training vendor tells you 40-Hour HAZWOPER training can be completed totally online....Think Again!

OSHA's General Industry Standard (the”catch all" when specific regulations don't provide enough information or guidance) specifies that the Employer is responsible for insuring employee training is comprehensive AND complies with OSHA regulations and training recommendations. The bottom line....... your training vendor can sell you a "bill of goods" (or say whatever they want) and YOU ARE LIABLE, NOT THE VENDOR.

OSHA's guidance documents on this issue is very clear. From Richard E. Fairfax's (OSHA's Director Enforcement Programs) August 16, 2004 letter on this issue, he states:

"In OSHA's view, self-paced, interactive computer-based training can serve as a valuable training tool in the context of an over-all HAZWOPER training program. However, use of computer-based training by itself would not be sufficient to meet the intent of the standard's various training requirements. OSHA urges employers to be wary of relying solely on generic "packaged" training programs in meeting their training requirements since training required under HAZWOPER includes site-specific elements which need to be tailored to the individual worker's assigned duties.

Safety and health training may often involve the presentation of technical material to audiences that typically have not had formal education in technical or scientific disciplines, such as in areas of chemistry or physiology. In an effective training program, it is critical that trainees have the opportunity to ask questions where material is unfamiliar to them.

For HAZWOPER training, equally important is the use of hands-on experience and exercises to provide trainees with an opportunity to become familiar with equipment and safe practices in a non-hazardous setting. Many industrial operations, particularly hazardous waste operations, involve complex hazardous tasks and exposures. Traditional hands-on training ensures that workers are prepared to safely perform their job assignments. The purpose of hands-on training (i.e., in the donning and doffing of PPE) 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. It is unlikely that sole reliance on a computer-based training program will accomplish these objectives

Get current information straight from OSHA's web site.

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