It should have been a quiet Sunday morning drive to breakfast after church, but Department of Transportation (DOT) trucks were blocking two of the three lanes that you were traveling on. And while you first thought that the crew was dealing with a hazardous waste spill, a closer inspection showed that the crew was working to fill in pot holes. And while it was a much needed fix, the interruption slowed your travel. you knew though that a Sunday morning road repair project was likely far more safe for the workers. The morning commute on Monday would not be as forgiving as a time.
Proper Training Allows Workers to Stay Safe in a Variety of Work Environments
From road construction to hazardous waste pickup, it is impossible to stay safe in many jobs if you have not had the proper training. For instance, DOT hazardous materials training can vary from one industry to the next. The importance of following the requirements outlined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In fact, the safety procedures for working in a refinery may be very different from the safety requirements that are used in DOT hazardous materials training. For these reasons, hazardous waste management certification does not always transfer from one job to another. This means that all employers needs to make sure that they can verify that every worker they have has completed all of the necessary safety training.
And while initial training is always very specific and detailed, no training lasts forever, In fact, companies need to document that they provide refresher training courses as they are required. And while some hazmat certifications may last for as long as a year or two years, others require retraining and retesting every six months. Keeping track of all of these necessary training requirements and making sure that safety procedures are followed requires constant attention to detail. For this reason, many companies have a compliance team that make sure that no one misses a needed training session.
Whether your job requires a DOT hazmat training course once a year or once a month, it is important that you follow through and pay careful attention so that you can complete your assigned job, whether it is a road repair task on a Sunday morning or a refinery job during the week.