Sing to the show tune, “Whatever Lola wants…” and substitute “OSHA” for “Lola” and your sung response would be, “OSHA gets”; followed by “And little boss, great big OSHA wants YOU!” (You need to see the Broadway musical “Damn Yankees” to fully understand that allusion, of course.) But unlike watching Gwen Verdon strut her entertaining tango, the requirement for Osha 40 hour training can have you dancing to a somewhat more arduous and confusing version of “Where do I go from here?”
Where do you go from here?
You probably already know the first destination: If your company is involved in work around hazardous materials and your workers are involved in waste removal, processing, or doing emergency cleanup, OSHA requires your workers to undergo 40 hours of HAZWOPER training as well as on-the-job experience. The training topics are covered in 29 CFR 1910.120. Subparagraph 1910.120(e)(3)(i) addresses the 40-hour requirement:
General site workers … engaged in hazardous substance removal … shall receive a minimum of 40 hours of instruction off the site, and a minimum of three days actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained experienced supervisor (emphasis provided).
Also, 29 CFR 1910.120(e)(4) says that your on-site managers and supervisors need 40 hours of initial training and three days of field experience. The training might be cut to 24 hours and one day under some conditions.
Which direction should you take?
OSHA doesn’t answer that question. In its FAQ on HAZWOPER the OSHA response is unhelpful:
Q. How can I find (a)… 40-hour HAZWOPER course?
A. OSHA does not approve, certify, or endorse individual trainers or training programs, nor do we keep a list of training providers.
Never fear: eTraining’s online OSHA 40 hour training is your final destination.
We’ve cracked into all those complicated training and curricula requirements and have come up with everything you need to give OSHA what it wants. Our OSHA 40 Hour HAZWOPER Course meets both OSHA and EPA (as well as state) regulations on working around hazardous goop. Our course is comprehensive and has all the multimedia bells and whistles (narration, interactive exercises, videos) and nifty self-check quizzes to keep it interesting and challenging.
Coupling our training with your own site’s practical experience, your trainees can finish our course entirely online and self-paced, and provides the successful student with a laminated ID card and certificate of completion that proves you gave OSHA what it wanted.
