Think of Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) and large hazardous waste sites with workers in chemical suits spring to mind. Although much of the HAZWOPER Standard applies to those types of waste cleanup operations, some portions of the standard apply to relatively small spills or releases of hazardous substances at construction sites. Hazardous substances, including hazardous waste, hazardous materials, biological agents, and certain substances regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pose numerous worker safety and health hazards if not approached and dealt with properly. OSHA’s HAZWOPER Standard is intended to provide a framework for employers to implement, in order to protect their workers from these hazards during any of the work operations listed in the Scope section below
OSHA’s standards for general industry and the construction industry on hazardous waste operations and emergency response cover all employees involved in:
The summary below is divided into four parts, based on the four operations listed in the Scope section earlier. A single employer may fall under one or more of the four parts.
Employers covered by the hazardous waste cleanup operations portion (paragraphs (b) to (o) of 1926.65) of the HAZWOPER Standard must:
Employers covered by the hazardous waste TSD facility portion (paragraphs (p)(1) to (p)(8) of 1926.65) of the HAZWOPER Standard must:
Employers covered by the portion (paragraph (p)(8) of 1926.65) of the HAZWOPER Standard applicable to small and large quantity hazardous waste generators that qualify for permitting exemptions under 40 CFR 264, 265, and 270, but who are also required by EPA or a state agency to have their employees engage in emergency response or who otherwise direct their employees to engage in emergency response for hazardous waste storage areas must:
Employers covered by the emergency response operations portion (paragraph (q) of 1926.65) of the HAZWOPER Standard must: