Hazardous material or HAZMAT training is an educational course that instructs pupils in the techniques of dealing with hazardous materials such as industrial chemicals, pesticides or petroleum. The primary focus of Hazmat regulations revolves around the transportation of such materials. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is the regulatory body that oversees compliance with hazardous material transportation.
Training is not just required of those people who transport hazardous materials but for every person along the entire product chain. As a result they are a variety of Hazmat courses and training programs you can attend.
Basics Of Choosing The Best Program
The industry of compliance is complex. The Department of Transportation and OSHA have provided a set of guidelines that businesses and employees are required to follow. How those guidelines are interpreted, is left up to the public. There are many different products and many different spins put upon the same basic guidelines. For example, a Google search for hazmat training returned 2,340,000 results. Which product is the right one for you? Keep in mind that certification can cost between $250-$600.
At the very basic level a quality course should indicate that it is approved by the Department of Transportation. Quality training programs may also have the Better Business Bureau (BBB) logo or other consumer protection organization’s approval.
Below are a few, more specific ideas to consider when choosing a quality certification program.
3 Basic Hazardous Material Programs
There are three basic certifications that are required to work with hazardous materials.
- Hazardous Materials Transportation Certificate
- Hazardous Materials Air Shipper Certificate
- Hazardous Materials Vessel Shipper Certificate
There is also a special course for those people who work with automotive parts.
- Hazardous Material for Automotive Parts & Automotive Service Operations:
Be Clear On The Certification You Need
It is important to understand exactly what certification(s) that you need. There are a lot of gray areas between the three standard certification programs. An example would be an employee who only deals with a specific task. If that task is shipping automobile batteries by semi-truck, then being certified to ship cargo by air is over-kill. Being over-certified is not a benefit to most people.
Quality programs should offer a function specific training mode. This is an individualized training module that is designed for employees who work with hazardous materials. These function-specific modules should be job specific. An example of a job-specific employee is a clerk who fills out air cargo bills-of-lading forms but may not work directly with the hazardous material being shipped.
Hazmat Training Online - Choose The Right Format
Hazard Material certifications are very complex. They require the conveyance of a great deal of information in a short amount of time. There are few programs that offer self-paced online certifications. Most certifications are based on webcasts. There is not an opportunity for viewers to ask questions. This means that the content is only meant to be absorbed. A quality program should provide students with a comprehensive handbook/textbook to help overcome information overload.
Some online programs can be customized to meet the needs of each facility. Training does not have to be universal especially when compliance is based on job function. Quality programs should meet an educational goal that addresses a specific compliance need.
Some online programs offer a multiple topic module course for employees or businesses that cross over many hazardous material boundaries. A diversified business or job function may need multiple certifications. An example would be an employee or business that deals with hazardous materials that are shipped by both air and land. In these situations consider choosing a program the offers multiple certifications during one training mode.
The important thing to remember about certification is that it is intended to keep everyone safe. Choose a program that offers competency through education.
Also see osha hazwoper training, and hazwoper training for information on this topic.