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DOT HazMat General Awareness - Employee Training

4.3(3 reviews)
DOT HazMat General Awareness - Employee Training

Course Overview

DOT HazMat General Awareness is a ten part online course for hazmat employees. It covers the Hazardous Materials Table, shipping papers, marking, labelling and placarding, packaging, the highway, air, rail and vessel rules, and security plans.

  • Read the Hazardous Materials Table column by column, then build a basic description in the correct order.
  • Learn when a load actually needs a placard, and why 454 kg decides it for every Table 2 material you ship.
  • Cover the security awareness training that 49 CFR 172.704(a)(4) requires of every hazmat employee in scope.
  • 7 hours, self-paced
  • Instant certificate
  • Mobile friendly

Price Match Plus: eTraining will beat any competitor’s price + $10

$159.00

Per seat. One-time payment, no subscription.

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Everything You Need to Know
About This Course

The course runs ten parts, each closing with a quiz, and finishes with a final exam.

  • Reading the Hazardous Materials Table Column by Column
  • Column 1 Symbols: Plus, A, D, G, I and W
  • Proper Shipping Names, Qualifying Words and n.o.s. Entries
  • Hazard Class or Division, Forbidden Entries and Combustible Liquids
  • Identification Numbers and the UN Against NA Prefixes
  • Packing Groups I, II and III and What They Signal
  • Label Codes, Special Provisions and Packaging References
  • Quantity Limitations for Aircraft and Vessel Stowage Codes
  • Reportable Quantities, Hazardous Substances and Marine Pollutants
  • Building a Basic Description in the Required Sequence
  • Emergency Response Telephone Number Rules
  • Shipper Certification and Shipping Paper Retention
  • Marking Non-Bulk and Bulk Packagings
  • Labelling, Subsidiary Hazards and Duplicate Labels
  • Placarding Tables 1 and 2, and the DANGEROUS Placard
  • Packaging Authorisations, UN Standard Marks and Lab Packs
  • Materials of Trade, Limited Quantities and Small Quantities
  • Highway Carrier Duties Under 49 CFR Part 177 and the FMCSR
  • Air, Rail and Vessel Carrier Duties and Incident Reporting
  • Security Plans, Security Awareness and In Depth Security Training

OSHA Standard49 CFR (FMCSA/DOT)
Course Duration7 hours
Format100% online, fully narrated with photos and interactivity
Passing Score70% on final exam
CertificatePersonalized certificate, printable immediately upon passing
LanguagesEnglish
Device CompatibilityDesktop, tablet, and smartphone
ProgressProgress saved automatically, stop and restart without losing your place
Instructor SupportAccess professional instructors for guidance and answers to your course-related questions.
AcceptedOur courses meet federal standards, but state requirements may vary. Please verify before purchase.

Anyone who meets the definition of a hazmat employee at 49 CFR 171.8, and the managers who have to keep their training records current. It assumes no prior knowledge and starts from how to read the Hazardous Materials Table.

  • Hazmat employees involved in the transportation of hazardous materials
  • Shipping and receiving personnel who handle hazardous materials shipments
  • Warehouse workers who store or manage hazardous materials inventory
  • Drivers and transportation workers transporting hazardous materials by highway, air, rail, or water
  • New hazmat employees who must complete initial training within 90 days of employment
  • Employees who have changed job functions involving hazardous materials
  • Workers requiring recurrent hazmat training (required every 3 years)
  • Safety managers and compliance officers overseeing hazmat operations

What brings a workplace into scope is offering or moving a regulated material, not the sector it sits in. If someone here signs a shipping paper, seals a drum or hands a package to a carrier, the rules apply.

  • Freight and logistics companies transporting hazardous materials
  • Chemical manufacturing and distribution
  • Petroleum and oil and gas transportation
  • Warehousing and distribution centers handling hazardous goods
  • Airlines and air cargo operations
  • Railroad and rail freight carriers
  • Marine and maritime shipping operations
  • Pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution
  • Agricultural product transportation
  • Waste management and hazardous waste hauling

DOT HazMat Awareness or a Different Regulatory Programme?

Transport, waste and workplace chemical rules cover the same drum at different moments. This course takes the moment it moves in commerce.

  • DOT HazMat General Awareness. The page you are on. Ten parts across the HMT, papers, marking, labelling, placarding, packaging, each mode and security.
  • Hazardous Waste Program Development. The EPA side of the same drum: generator status, accumulation limits and the manifest. View the Hazardous Waste Program Development
  • Chemical Safety. What the material does to a person rather than how it moves: labels, safety data sheets and exposure. View the Chemical Safety
  • Universal Waste Training. Batteries, lamps, mercury devices and aerosols under the simplified universal waste rules. View the Universal Waste Training

Take this one where materials are offered or carried. Take the others where the same material is stored, used or disposed of.

 

What the DOT Actually Requires of a HazMat Employee

The training rule behind this whole course sets the duty out in plain terms, and it reaches further than most people expect.

  • Five training types. 49 CFR 172.704(a) names five kinds of training: general awareness and familiarisation, function specific, safety, security awareness, and in depth security training wherever a security plan applies.
  • 90 days. A new hazmat employee may work before training under the direct supervision of someone already trained, but 49 CFR 172.704(c)(1) allows 90 days from hire, or from a change of job function, to finish it.
  • Every three years. 49 CFR 172.704(c)(2) then sets recurrent training at least once every three years. The course is firm that a valid commercial driver's licence does not reset that clock.
  • Records kept. 49 CFR 172.704(d) requires the employer to keep the record for as long as the person is a hazmat employee and for 90 days after they leave, naming the training, the dates, the materials and the provider.

The definition at 49 CFR 171.8 is what catches people out. Anyone who loads, packs, marks, labels, prepares papers or drives is a hazmat employee, whatever the job title says.

Verified Course Reviews

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4.3
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  1. Jakeem Davis
    DOT HazMat General Awareness - Employee TrainingDOT HazMat General Awareness - Employee Training

    Thanks very helpful

    (0) (0)
  2. Jim Price
    DOT HazMat General Awareness - Employee TrainingDOT HazMat General Awareness - Employee Training

    n/a

    (0) (0)

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about the DOT HazMat General Awareness - Employee Training.

Yes. Upon passing the final exam with a score of 70% or higher, you can immediately print a certificate of completion. This certificate serves as proof of training for your employer.

Yes. The course is accessible on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Progress saves automatically on the same device, so you can stop and resume where you left off.

DOT HazMat General Awareness training is a comprehensive safety education program required under federal hazardous materials transportation law. It is compliant with the HazMat regulation 49 CFR 172 and 173, and covers hazard classes and divisions, shipping papers, marking, labeling, placarding, and mandatory security requirements. The training includes function-specific standards for Highway, Air, Rail, and Water transportation. Upon completion, participants receive a personalized certificate of completion.

   Federal hazardous materials transportation law requires the training of all hazmat employees. This includes anyone involved in the transportation, shipping, receiving, handling, or storage of hazardous materials. Initial training must be completed within 90 days of employment or a change in job function. A new employee may perform hazmat job functions before completing training only under the direct supervision of a properly trained hazmat employee.

  The course is approximately 7 hours in length. Because it is self-paced, you can complete it over multiple sessions at your convenience. Progress saves automatically on the same device, so you can pause and resume at any time.

   Recurrent training is required at least once every three years. The three-year period begins on the actual date of training. Relevant training received from a previous employer or other source may be used to satisfy the requirements, provided a current record of training is obtained from the previous employer or source.

   The course covers hazard classes and divisions, packing groups and label codes, the Hazardous Materials Table (HMT), shipping papers, requirements and procedures for marking and labeling, and placarding placement, visibility, design, and requirements. The course is broken into 10 units covering the Hazardous Materials Table, shipping papers, marking and labeling, placarding, and function-specific standards for Highway, Air, Rail, and Water transportation, along with mandatory security requirements.

   Yes. The course includes downloadable reference resources for you to keep and use, including A Guide to Developing a HazMat Training Program, HazMat Transportation Requirements, The Emergency Response Guidebook, Transporting Agricultural Products Safely, DOT Chart 16 - Markings, Labeling and Placarding Guide, Bulk Shipment Guide, How to Safely Send Batteries, and more helpful links and documents.

   Yes. Relevant training received from a previous employer or other source may be used to satisfy the DOT HazMat training requirements, provided a current record of training is obtained from the previous employer or source. The three-year recurrent training period begins on the actual date of the original training.

   The course is compliant with the HazMat regulation 49 CFR 172 and 173, and includes function-specific standards for Highway, Air, Rail, and Water transportation, as well as mandatory security requirements. These regulations fall under the Federal hazardous materials transportation law, which is the statute pertaining to the transportation of hazmat in the United States.

You must score at least 70% on the final exam to pass and receive your certificate of completion. The course includes knowledge-check quizzes that do not count toward your final grade but help prepare you for the exam. If you do not pass on your first attempt, you can retake the exam.

Better Training. Better Outcomes.

Fifteen years, 200,000+ professionals certified, and a completion rate roughly double the industry average.

OSHA citation printed on every certificate

Your employer and site safety officer can verify compliance at a glance, with no phone calls and no lookups.

No setup. No LMS. Training in minutes.

Pay once, get instant access. No account setup, no downloads, no IT involvement. Works in any browser.

Built for field workers, not classrooms

Grounded in real jobsite operations. Scenarios reflect the work your crew actually does.

Trusted by safety managers & contractors

Used by EHS managers, general contractors and federal site supervisors to keep crews certified on time.

200,000+
Professionals certified
87%
Completion rate (industry avg <45%)
10M+
Hours of training delivered
15
Years in business

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