Hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER, for short) guidelines are covered by OSHA standard 1910.120. This standard explains required training for employees dealing with hazardous materials, as well as procedures for the storage, disposal, and operations of all hazard materials and potential accidents with said materials. It explains who may and may not be granted access to such materials, and who is in charge of monitoring the site. Finally, it explains what is required in your business site safety and health plan.

1910.20 gives specific details about what is required in the site safety and health plan. It must include the specifics related to which hazards have been identified, how they were identified, and how these hazards were communicated to the individuals working on site. It also requires that all hazardous sites have an emergency response plan, including applicable state and local authorities where applicable. In addition, specific guidelines are set for monitoring the health of individuals who have been granted access to the site, as well as guidelines for the frequency of medical examinations. Further, the standard goes into detail about what is required of employee trainers, and how often employees must be trained. The standard also covers what personal protective equipment is to be worn. It covers what drums and barrels will be used to store and dispose of the materials, as well as how said containers are to be opened and sealed. The standard additionally discusses at length the proper disposal process for hazardous materials. This is of course, an abridged, and hardly all inclusive, list of what is required; but it does touch on the key points and shows how far reaching this site safety and health plan really is.

Even if you have had a full audit from a third party in the past, and created an in-depth site safety and health plan, it is important to make sure you are keeping adequate records of events and changes. Further, you must ensure that you are still up to code and that no additional risks have presented themselves in the interim. If you have any questions about your current plan, or would like to begin a new plan, please contact us for more information. And if you have any additional information to add, please leave a comment.