A Detailed Understanding of HAZWOPER

The Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER) is required for five separate employee groups. This requirement has been mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and it refers to only those employees who are substantially exposed to hazardous substances.

These Hazwoper standards apply to all the cleanup efforts at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. As per the OSHA regulations, these standards should be applied at any level that involves the use of hazardous substances. Similarly these standards apply to all the voluntary clean-up operations at these sites.

As per the OSHA regulations, HAZWOPER also encompasses all the corrective actions that include the operations carried out at work sites that are covered by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. It is also applicable to all the other operations that deal with the treatment, storage and disposal facilities.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also states that HAZWOPER also applies to all the emergency operations. All the emergency operations with a substantial concern on the release of hazardous substances are included under this. The federal agency also states that when an emergency occurs in any unknown atmosphere, at least four people are supposed to investigate into it.