• Employees aren’t allowed to perform any hazardous waste operations until they have either been trained and certified or shown documentation of equivalent knowledge acquired elsewhere.
• Trainers must either be trained in how to train others in the subject, or they must have acquired the necessary subject matter and instructional expertise.

Paragraph (e) of the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Standard lists all the employee training requirements. Training is critical for recognizing, understanding, and handling the many safety and health hazards that are present at a hazardous waste site.

A training program is required under the safety and health program and is also part of the site-specific safety and health plan. This training must be provided to all employees who will work on the site, such as equipment operators, general laborers, and supervisors or managers who may have exposure to hazardous substances.

Employees at all sites must not perform any hazardous waste operations unless they have been:

• Trained to the level necessary for their job function and responsibility and certified by a qualified trainer as having completed the required training; or
• Shown by documentation or certification that their work experience and/or training has resulted in training equivalent to the training required, in accordance with subparagraph (e)(9) of 29 CFR 1910.120 and 1926.65.

Trainer qualifications

Trainers must be qualified to instruct employees about the subject matter that is being presented in training. Such trainers shall have either:

• Satisfactorily completed a training program for teaching the subjects they are expected to teach, or
• Acquired the academic credentials and instructional experience necessary for teaching the subjects.

Instructors must have competent instructional skills and knowledge of the applicable subject matter.