Regulatory compliance for working with hazmat materials is not just a matter of avoiding fines and even jail time. Acquiring RCRA DOT training and other forms of hazmat certification is crucial to the safety of every individual who works with hazardous materials as well as the workspace and everyone in and around it. Furthermore, complying with regulations is not something that can be done by just one person. Compliance must be done across the board so that there is no failure at any point along the line. That’s why it is so important that RCRA DOT training classes and DOT hazmat certification be conscientiously pursued by everyone involved in handling hazardous waste.
Understanding RCRA Guidelines
As we understand more about hazardous wastes, what they can do, and what constitutes a hazard, regulations and compliance rules change. It is essential that all companies and employees who work with hazmat materials be up-to-date on all regulation changes in order to remain in compliance and to ensure the safety of everyone involved in transporting a dangerous material. RCRA DOT training must be done annually, and it teaches employees how to deal with resource conservation among many other things. RCRA DOT training is designed to be pragmatic and covers understanding hazardous waste determinations and classifications, waste standards for containers and tanks, preparedness and prevention issues, emergency and contingency plans, record-keeping, disposal issues, and how to record and manifest correctly, among other things.
Requirements For Training
RCRA DOT training and other forms of hazardous-waste certification are required for all employees, managers, supervisors, and anyone who will be working in any way with hazardous materials. This includes those who handle the materials, those who prepare the material for shipping, those who transport, those who load or unload hazardous materials, and anyone who is involved in labeling a hazardous material. Everyone who takes the training reviews all the important concepts and procedures that are required for compliance and does practical exercises to learn how to classify hazardous waste and how to prepare shipping papers. It is necessary to take this training even if shipping or handling hazardous materials is only a very small part of a company’s business.
Why Get the Training?
Hazardous waste management certification is more important than simply staying in compliance and avoiding fines. There are several other good reasons why a person might take the training. For one thing, work with hazardous materials is relatively lucrative and, as of 2016, hazardous material removal workers, for example, could expect to make a median salary of over $40,500 per year. This is in part because hazmat workers are highly trained, with up to 40 hours of OSHA-mandated training and also with specific state licensing.
Safety First
Beyond the possibility for getting a good job, it’s important to know how to deal with hazardous materials simply from the perspective of safety. Every year 3 billion tons of hazmat material get shipped annually, and approximately 94% of all those shipments are done by truck and a running along America’s highways and byways. The most frequently transported hazmat materials in America are flammable liquids, which make up 86.4% of the value of hazmat shipping, and 85.4% of the weight. It is crucial to keep all of these hazardous materials safe from the moment they are made to the moment they are applied at their final destination.
Shipping hazardous materials is a dangerous job, and those who take part in it should be compensated for the risks they are undergoing. In addition, it is absolutely crucial that they be properly trained in working with hazardous wastes in order to ensure their own safety and the safety of all.