HAZMAT Awareness, Operations and Technician Cert: Does anyone know anything about this course?

2015-04-29T02:04:38-04:00

Hello,

Does anyone know anything about the 3 week course that contained "HAZMAT Awareness, Operations and Technician" Certification? I was sent to the local Fire Department (Certifying authority) while I was stationed at Fort Bragg to attend this class, but it was about a decade ago. I've tried looking into ERB codes, MIL ED and Tech Certs to find more information but have not been successful. Just trying to figure out how to use these certifications in the near future.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 29 at 2015 2:55 AM

2015-04-29T02:55:52-04:00

These sound like 3 separate certifications. Try looking through 29 CFR 1910.120 (or, generally, 1910). I will use hospital examples.

** HAZMAT awareness is required by OSHA for ANYONE working around potentially hazardous chemicals. Everyone in the hospital must receive HAZMAT awareness training due to the presence of potentially hazardous chemicals at every turn (from cleaning chemicals to medical gasses). The training tells people how to use a Safety Data Sheet to respond to a spill and where to look for first aid. If you are not in the lab, the pharmacy, etc, you can probably end here.

** HAZMAT Operations and Technician courses are different levels of training for those working with potentially hazardous chemicals on a regular basis. I believe the technician course is more elaborate than the operations course. In the military, I believe the HAZMAT Technician course is an 80 hour certification, primarily for personnel who will be expected to safely pack, ship and fill out paperwork for hazardous chemicals and materials over the road (HAZMAT typically refers to "over the road movement of waste hazardous chemicals" but is used in a general sense in the military to mean any hazardous chemical, waste or not, travelling or not). I would expect my lab and pharmacy technicians, for example, to at least achieve this level of certification due to the number of chemicals they deal with on a daily basis.

** HAZWOPER, or Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, is where you will make your money in the civilian world. This was a requirement for me as a DECON team leader. The 40 hour HAZWOPER with hands-on training is required for emergency response personnel.

I hope this helps and makes sense.