Who Should Attend the 24-Hour HAZWOPER Training?

This training is intended for workers who are unlikely to be exposed to high-risk hazards and will be onsite only occasionally for specific tasks or are onsite regularly who work in areas and who are unlikely to be exposed over permissible exposure limits and where respirators are not necessary*.

The 24-Hour HAZWOPER training is valid for 12 months. To maintain your HAZWOPER certification, you must complete and 8-Hour HAZWOPER refresher course annually. If you fail to complete the annual refresher by the expiration deadline, you may have to retake the 24-Hour training.

*Workers with 24 hours of training who are covered by the HAZWOPER regulation, and who become general site workers or who are required to wear respirators, shall have the additional 16 hours and two days of training necessary to total the training specified for the 40 Hour HAZWOPER training requirement.

Course Regulation

29 CFR 1910.120:

(e)(3)(ii) Workers on site only occasionally for a specific limited task (such as, but not limited to, ground water monitoring, land surveying, or geo-physical surveying) and who are unlikely to be exposed over permissible exposure limits and published exposure limits shall receive a minimum of 24 hours of instruction off the site, and the minimum of one day actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.

(e)(3)(iii) Workers regularly on site who work in areas which have been monitored and fully characterized indicating that exposures are under permissible exposure limits and published exposure limits where respirators are not necessary, and the characterization indicates that there are no health hazards or the possibility of an emergency developing, shall receive a minimum of 24 hours of instruction off the site and the minimum of one day actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.

(q)(6): Training. Training shall be based on the duties and function to be performed by each responder of an emergency response organization. The skill and knowledge levels required for all new responders, those hired after the effective date of this standard, shall be conveyed to them through training before they are permitted to take part in actual emergency operations on an incident. Employees who participate, or are expected to participate, in emergency response, shall be given training in accordance with the following paragraphs:

(q)(6)(iii): Hazardous materials technician. Hazardous materials technicians are individuals who respond to releases or potential releases for the purpose of stopping the release. They assume a more aggressive role than a first responder at the operations level in that they will approach the point of release in order to plug, patch or otherwise stop the release of a hazardous substance. Hazardous materials technicians shall have received at least 24 hours of training equal to the first responder operations level and in addition have competency in the following areas and the employer shall so certify.:

1. Know how to implement the employer’s emergency response plan;
2. Know the classification, identification, and verification of known and unknown materials by using field survey instruments and equipment;
3. Be able to function within an assigned role in the Incident Command System;
4. Know how to select and use proper specialized chemical personal protective equipment provided to the hazardous materials technician;
5. Understand hazard and risk assessment techniques;
6. Be able to perform advance control, containment, and/or confinement operations within the capabilities of the resources and personal protective equipment available with the unit;
7. Understand and implement decontamination procedures;
8. Understand termination procedures;
9. Understand basic chemical and toxicological terminology and behavior.

Please note: In addition to the required 24-Hour training, the regulation requires a minimum of one day actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor to establish employee proficiency in the duties required by the regulation.

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Who Should Attend the 24-Hour HAZWOPER Training?

This training is intended for workers who are unlikely to exposed to high-risk hazards and will be onsite only occasionally for specific tasks, or are onsite regularly who work in areas and who are unlikely to be exposed over permissible exposure limits and where respirators are not necessary*.

The 24-Hour HAZWOPER training is valid for 12 months. To maintain your HAZWOPER certification, you must complete and 8-Hour HAZWOPER refresher course annually. If you fail to complete the annual refresher by the expiration deadline, you may have to retake the 24-Hour training.

*Workers with 24 hours of training who are covered by the HAZWOPER regulation, and who become general site workers or who are required to wear respirators, shall have the additional 16 hours and two days of training necessary to total the training specified for the 40 Hour HAZWOPER training requirement.

Course Regulation

29 CFR 1910.120:

(e)(3)(ii) Workers on site only occasionally for a specific limited task (such as, but not limited to, ground water monitoring, land surveying, or geo-physical surveying) and who are unlikely to be exposed over permissible exposure limits and published exposure limits shall receive a minimum of 24 hours of instruction off the site, and the minimum of one day actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.

(e)(3)(iii) Workers regularly on site who work in areas which have been monitored and fully characterized indicating that exposures are under permissible exposure limits and published exposure limits where respirators are not necessary, and the characterization indicates that there are no health hazards or the possibility of an emergency developing, shall receive a minimum of 24 hours of instruction off the site and the minimum of one day actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.

(q)(6): Training. Training shall be based on the duties and function to be performed by each responder of an emergency response organization. The skill and knowledge levels required for all new responders, those hired after the effective date of this standard, shall be conveyed to them through training before they are permitted to take part in actual emergency operations on an incident. Employees who participate, or are expected to participate, in emergency response, shall be given training in accordance with the following paragraphs:

(q)(6)(iii): Hazardous materials technician. Hazardous materials technicians are individuals who respond to releases or potential releases for the purpose of stopping the release. They assume a more aggressive role than a first responder at the operations level in that they will approach the point of release in order to plug, patch or otherwise stop the release of a hazardous substance. Hazardous materials technicians shall have received at least 24 hours of training equal to the first responder operations level and in addition have competency in the following areas and the employer shall so certify.:

1. Know how to implement the employer’s emergency response plan;
2. Know the classification, identification, and verification of known and unknown materials by using field survey instruments and equipment;
3. Be able to function within an assigned role in the Incident Command System;
4. Know how to select and use proper specialized chemical personal protective equipment provided to the hazardous materials technician;
5. Understand hazard and risk assessment techniques;
6. Be able to perform advance control, containment, and/or confinement operations within the capabilities of the resources and personal protective equipment available with the unit;
7. Understand and implement decontamination procedures;
8. Understand termination procedures;
9. Understand basic chemical and toxicological terminology and behavior.

Please note: In addition to the required 24-Hour training, the regulation requires a minimum of one day actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor to establish employee proficiency in the duties required by the regulation.

The post 24-Hour HAZWOPER Training appeared first on R2M Engineering.

This course covers OSHA’s fall requirements for Construction and General Industry workers (29 CFR 1926, Subpart M and 29 CFR 1910, Subpart D). In this class, students will learn the different types of fall risks and hazards; how to analyze and prepare for working conditions; and how the OSHA fall protection requirement applies to their work environments. Our classes are a mixture of academic and interactive learning to ensure each student fully comprehends the subject of Fall Protection. After successfully completing our class each student will be presented with a Fall Protection certification card good for one year from the date of the class.

Program Topics:

• Need for Fall Prevention and Protection
  • Fall Protection statistics
• Hazard Analysis
  • Recognition of hazards
  • Control measures
  • Q&A w/instructor about known hazards in the workplace
• Different Fall Prevention/Protection Systems
• General Principles of Fall Protection
  • Fall Arrest
  • Positioning
  • Suspension
  • Rescue Plans
  • Retrieval
  • Minimizing fall forces (live demonstrations)
• Competent person
  • Who’s Qualified
• Walking Working Surfaces
  • Duty to have fall protection
  • Falling objects protection
• Personal Fall Arrest Systems (Hands-on exercises)
  • Inspection procedures
  • Donning procedures
  • Fit test
  • Selection, application, and care of equipment
• Who should attend:
  • Any employees exposed to fall hazards or supervisors with fall hazards in their work environments should attend this class.
• OSHA Fall Protection quick facts for employers
  • Fall Protection must be provided for each employee on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge at the height required by the OSHA standard applicable to their work environment.
• Management is required to:

• Develop, implement and commit to a fall protection program
• Provide training on the fall protection program
• Evaluate the program on a regular basis to ensure the program’s effectiveness and determine whether it needs to be changed or updated
• Employers are required to assess the workplace to determine if the walking/working surfaces on which employees are to work have the strength and structural integrity to safely support workers. Once employers have determined that the surface is safe for employees to work on, the employer must select one of the options listed for the work operation if a fall hazard is present.
• Where protection is required, select fall protection systems appropriate for given situations.
• Use proper construction and installation of safety systems.
• Supervise employees properly.
• Train workers in the proper selection, use, and maintenance of fall protection systems.

The post Fall Protection Competent Person Training Amarillo, TX appeared first on R2M Engineering.

This course covers OSHA’s fall requirements for Construction and General Industry workers (29 CFR 1926, Subpart M and 29 CFR 1910, Subpart D). In this class, students will learn the different types of fall risks and hazards; how to analyze and prepare for working conditions; and how the OSHA fall protection requirement applies to their work environments. Our classes are a mixture of academic and interactive learning to ensure each student fully comprehends the subject of Fall Protection. After successfully completing our class each student will be presented with a Fall Protection certification card good for one year from the date of the class.

Program Topics:

• Need for Fall Prevention and Protection
  • Fall Protection statistics
• Hazard Analysis
  • Recognition of hazards
  • Control measures
  • Q&A w/instructor about known hazards in the workplace
• Different Fall Prevention/Protection Systems
• General Principles of Fall Protection
  • Fall Arrest
  • Positioning
  • Suspension
  • Rescue Plans
  • Retrieval
  • Minimizing fall forces (live demonstrations)
• Competent person
  • Who’s Qualified
• Walking Working Surfaces
  • Duty to have fall protection
  • Falling objects protection
• Personal Fall Arrest Systems (Hands-on exercises)
  • Inspection procedures
  • Donning procedures
  • Fit test
  • Selection, application, and care of equipment
• Who should attend:
  • Any employees exposed to fall hazards or supervisors with fall hazards in their work environments should attend this class.
• OSHA Fall Protection quick facts for employers
  • Fall Protection must be provided for each employee on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge at the height required by the OSHA standard applicable to their work environment.
• Management is required to:

• Develop, implement and commit to a fall protection program
• Provide training on the fall protection program
• Evaluate the program on a regular basis to ensure the program’s effectiveness and determine whether it needs to be changed or updated
• Employers are required to assess the workplace to determine if the walking/working surfaces on which employees are to work have the strength and structural integrity to safely support workers. Once employers have determined that the surface is safe for employees to work on, the employer must select one of the options listed for the work operation if a fall hazard is present.
• Where protection is required, select fall protection systems appropriate for given situations.
• Use proper construction and installation of safety systems.
• Supervise employees properly.
• Train workers in the proper selection, use, and maintenance of fall protection systems.

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is finally making a push to catch up with the fluctuating value of the dollar. In November, President Barack Obama signed into law a piece of legislation called the “Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015” which was a part of the “H.R. 1314 Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.” This provision amended the “Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990,” and will allow the OSHA fines to be adjusted with the increase in inflation. In addition, OSHA has been given the authority to adjust fines in accordance with changes in the Consumer Price Index for future issues of inflation.

Are you prepared for the increase in OSHA fines? Contact Freddie (pictured above) today if you have an questions.

David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, said in a statement made to the Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, the most serious obstacle to effective OSHA enforcement is the very low level of civil penalties allowed under our law, as well as our weak criminal sanctions.

“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can impose a penalty of $270,000 for violations of the Clean Air Act, and a penalty of $1 million for attempting to tamper with a public water system,” Michaels said. “Yet, the maximum civil penalty OSHA may impose when a hard-working man or woman is killed on the job, even when the death is caused by a willful violation of an OSHA requirement, is $70,000.”

The amount of time for which violators may be incarcerated is also an argument given by him for the maximum increase in fines. Criminal provisions in the OSH Act are weaker than those in virtually every other safety, health, and environmental law.

“The Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act all provide for criminal prosecution for knowing violations of the law with penalties up to 15 years in jail,” Michaels said. “Under the OSH Act, criminal penalties are limited to those cases where a willful violation of an OSHA standard results in the death of a worker and to cases of false statements or misrepresentations.”

Michaels went on to say that the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Resource Conservation Acts can provide criminal prosecution for up to 15 years for knowingly endangering lives while the maximum incarceration penalty for a violation that costs a worker’s life is six months in jail, which is considered only a misdemeanor crime.

The next step in the process is implementation guidance from the Office of Management and Budget on carrying out the proposed fine increases. OSHA will then be required to publish an interim rule by July 1^st. The fines will then begin by the official deadline in August.

What this means

1. OSHA penalties will increase for the first time in 25 years.
2. The potential maximum in OSHA fines for “other-than-serious” and “serious” violations will increase to $12,471 from $7,000.
3. The potential maximum in OSHA fines for “willful” or “repeat” violations will increase to $124,709 from $70,000.
4. OSHA is granted the option to periodically increase penalties to match the cost of living in the future.
5. Fine structure will be set no later than August 1, 2016.

What this means to you

1. Companies can expect to see a nearly 80% monetary increase in OSHA fines this year.
2. The safety of your employees and compliance with safety standards are more important than ever.

R2M’s Take

“While nobody likes being fined or having a regulatory agency interfere with their business, we have to remember that OSHA’s goal is to ensure that employees are able to return home at night. If you view OSHA fines as representing the importance of human lives, how can you put a dollar amount on the life of someone’s son, daughter, husband, or wife? When you think about it this way, the fines are still relatively cheap. Especially when you consider that many times the cost of compliance is usually cheaper in the long run. How much does that safety meeting or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) really cost you compared to medical expenses, increased insurance premiums, loss of business reputation, or civil lawsuits? I really don’t want to ever see a company get an OSHA fine; I would rather see that money and time spent on efforts to ensure a safe workplace.”

Sean Finkbone SSH, CSHO
Senior Safety Manager

R2M Engineering is here to help you stay in compliance and make sure these fine increases don’t affect your company. Contact us today at (806) 783-9944 or visit our contact page www.R2Meng.com/contact if you have any questions or concerns.

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