• Hazmat employees are required to be trained in areas such as General Awareness and Familiarization, Function Specific, Safety, Security Awareness, In-depth Security, and Modal Specific.
• It is up to each hazmat employer to determine which kind of information needs to be covered in each type of training.

Hazmat employees are required to be trained in areas such as General Awareness and Familiarization, Function Specific, Safety, Security Awareness, In-depth Security, and Modal Specific. Even though the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) list the areas of training required, they are not specific on everything that needs to be addressed within those areas. The HMR leaves it up to each hazmat employer to determine the appropriate information that needs to be covered within each area.

General awareness and familiarization

General awareness training provides hazmat employees with a broad understanding of the HMR and enables hazmat employees to readily recognize and identify hazardous materials. All hazmat employees are required to have general awareness and familiarization training. Training typically provides a basic understanding of:

• The identification of hazardous materials,
• The Hazard Classification System,
• How to use the Hazardous Materials Table,
• Packaging,
• Markings and labels,
• Placards,
• Shipping papers,
• Segregation,
• Training requirements,
• Incident reporting, and
• Security.

Function specific

Function specific training provides hazmat employees with a detailed study of regulation requirements applicable to the hazmat function(s) the employee is responsible for. Training needs will depend on many things, including company operations, type of hazmat, packaging, and the hazmat employee’s responsibilities. Examples include:

• Loading and unloading hazmat,
• Filling out shipping papers,
• Packaging hazmat, and
• Labeling hazmat.

Safety

Safety training includes information on the hazards related to the hazmat the employee will handle, such as safe handling practices, emergency response procedures, and accident prevention methods. Training that complies with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations may also satisfy the requirements of the HMR. Topics may include:

• Emergency response information,
• Emergency response telephone numbers,
• Accident avoidance,
• Package handling,
• Personnel protection procedures, and
• Employee emergency action plans.

Security awareness

Security awareness training provides hazmat employees with a general understanding of the security risks associated with hazardous materials transportation and the methods designed to enhance transportation security. All hazmat employees are required to have security awareness training. Examples of subjects that could be included are:

• Regulatory requirements,
• Potential threats,
• Potential targets, and
• Prevention tools.

In-depth security

In-depth security training gives a detailed overview of a company’s security plan. It covers the company’s security goals, specific procedures, employee responsibilities, actions to take during a security breach, and the overall security structure. This training is required for hazmat employees who handle or perform regulated tasks related to transporting materials covered by the security plan, as well as for those responsible for implementing the security plan. Training must include:

• Security objectives,
• Specific security procedures,
• Employee responsibilities,
• Actions to take in the event of a security breach, and
• Organizational security structure.