What Are DOT Hazmat Training Requirements?
If your company is involved in the packaging, shipping, or transportation of hazardous materials, you’re required to comply with the Department of Transportation’s HazMat Regulations. Compliance starts with required training for your employees (and never ends).
HazMat training requirements can be confusing for many employers. The list of required topics goes on and on, and the consequences of non-compliance can be severe. Below, we’re taking a close look at DOT HazMat training and breaking down who needs it, what to cover, and why it’s so important to train employees right.
What Is DOT HAZMAT Training?
Because the transportation of hazardous materials presents a number of concerns for public health and safety, the DOT created Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to provide precautionary guidelines for packaging, labeling, and shipping of certain dangerous goods. These DOT regulations are outlined in 49 CFR.
In order to ensure compliance by everyone involved, the United States government requires anyone who works directly with or in close proximity to hazardous materials to complete a course that explains these HMR requirements.
This is called DOT HazMat training. It’s also sometimes referred to as “HazMat certification.”
Who Needs DOT HazMat Training?
Anyone who is involved, whether directly or indirectly, with the processing of hazardous materials for transportation needs to complete DOT HazMat training.
Examples of employees that need HazMat certification include anyone who:
- Purchases packaging or determines if it’s up to par for packing hazardous materials
- Prepares the shipment for sending, including those who box and label the package
- Fills out the appropriate shipping paperwork
- Signs off on manifests or paperwork
- Loads, unloads, or handles hazardous waste shipments
- Sells, tests, reconditions, or repairs HazMat packaging
- Screens hazardous cargo
- Transports hazardous shipments or drives a vehicle transporting HazMat
- Accepts, transfers, or unloads hazardous cargo
- Trains or supervises any of the above personnel
People with these duties are sometimes called “HazMat employees” by the HMR.
When Do You Need Initial HazMat Certification?
New HazMat employees or those who change job functions need to complete initial training within 90 days of beginning relevant duties.
How Often Do You Need HazMat Certification?
DOT regulations require HazMat employees to earn HazMat certification at least once every three years from the date of last training.
What’s Included in DOT HazMat Training?
HazMat employees need to be trained on all Hazardous Materials Regulations that apply to the functions they perform.
There are six categories of topics that must be covered in order to comply with HazMat training requirements: general awareness training, function-specific training, safety training, security awareness training, in-depth security training, and training in modal-specific or carrier-specific regulations.
DOT HazMat General Awareness Training
As the name suggests, General Awareness Training covers the basics of shipping and handling hazardous materials. Students learn how to identify and recognize hazards before they move on to function-specific training.
This module includes training on one of the most important resources for DOT HazMat—the DOT Hazardous Materials Table. The Hazardous Materials Table is found at 49 CFR 172.101 and identifies over 3,000 of the most commonly transported hazardous materials, listed alphabetically by their proper shipping name.
All the information necessary for HazMat compliance can be found in the ten-column table. The first five columns in the table give a basic description of the materials, while the rest provide more specific information regarding the packaging, marking, and labeling of the packages.
DOT HazMat Function-Specific Training
Once the student has been introduced to the basics of HazMat, they will need to complete training that’s specific to their role when working with hazardous materials.
Employees only need in-depth training on the topics relevant to their jobs. An employee who prepares shipping papers will cover different function-specific training topics than the truck driver who loads and unloads hazardous materials.
DOT HazMat Safety Training
Since hazardous materials are inherently dangerous, HazMat employees must complete a training module on the best safety practices for the specific hazard(s) they might encounter on the job.
This training must be tailored for the company and include information on how to safely handle HazMat, procedures for avoiding accidents, and how to respond to an emergency situation.
DOT HazMat Security Awareness Training
The Security Awareness module was added to HazMat training requirements after 9/11. It covers the security risks that are associated with the transportation of hazardous materials.
Topics covered include vehicle security, how to keep employees safe, and how to recognize potential security threats.
DOT HazMat In-Depth Security Training
The next aspect of DOT’s HazMat training requirements is an in-depth look at the employer’s security policies.
Students learn about their company’s required security plan, security objectives, employee responsibilities, specific safety procedures, and the actions they must take in the event of a security breach.
DOT HazMat Modal/Carrier-Specific Training
The transportation of hazardous materials can involve many different types of carriers: rail, aircraft, marine vessels, or public highways. Each of these modes of transportation has its own challenges, so it’s not a surprise that each has its own DOT regulations.
In the final module(s), students learn the rules that apply to the types of transportation carriers they’ll be dealing with.
Record Requirements for DOT HazMat Training
In addition to ensuring HazMat certification, HazMat employers are responsible for keeping the appropriate records as proof of their employee’s compliance. In fact, the Department of Transportation can audit a HazMat business at any time, and when they do, they’ll be looking for HazMat employee training records as required in 49 CFR 172.704.
The training records must include the following:
- The employee’s name
- Completion date of the most recent training
- A copy and description of the training materials
- The location of the training session
- The name and address of the trainer
- Employee’s certification that they have been trained
For current employees, employers should keep training records for three years from the date of their last training. If an employee leaves the company, employers need to keep their records for 90 days after their last day on the job.
Consequences of HMR Non-Compliance
As a HazMat employer, it’s important to understand the potential consequences of failing to comply with the HMR.
The penalties for violation of HazMat training requirements are fairly modest: $601 per violation for issues like inadequate training or missing records. This can add up fairly quickly, but the real danger of failing at HazMat training is the increased risk of HazMat violations themselves.
If your employees don’t understand Dot HazMat regulations and the importance of complying with them, they won’t be able to follow the rules. This is where the real nightmare begins.
The best-case scenario for poorly trained employees is that the DOT audits you and finds a HazMat violation. Penalties for typical HazMat violations can reach up to $100,000, so that isn’t great.
But the worst-case scenario? Your non-compliance results in a HazMat incident, causing serious injury, death, and/or substantial property damage. Penalties skyrocket when violations have real consequences, but you’ll also need to worry about property losses, worker’s compensation claims, lawsuits, and even the possibility of criminal charges.
Get DOT HazMat Training Online
Given the serious nature of HazMat training requirements and the consequences of non-compliance, trying to meet DOT regulations in-house can be stressful for employers. While some topics do need to be company-specific, most mandatory training related to the transportation of hazardous materials can be purchased from a reputable training provider like us.
We have over 25 years of experience helping employers meet compliance training requirements. Our courses are online and self-paced to maximize both training efficiency and retention.
We provide one-stop shopping for many employers’ DOT HazMat training needs. We offer comprehensive and up-to-date DOT HazMat courses in General Awareness and Security Awareness all four carrier-specific (modal) courses, and a range of single-function courses. Employers can mix and match to provide employees with most of the general information they need, then cap things off with employer-specific topics in-house.
Who Needs DOT HAZMAT Training?
Anyone who is involved, whether directly or indirectly, with the processing of hazardous materials needs to complete DOT HAZMAT training. Examples of employees that need to complete the training are anyone who:
- Purchases packaging or determines if it’s up to par for packing hazardous materials
- Prepares the shipment for sending, including those who box and label the package
- Fills out the appropriate shipping paperwork
- Signs off on manifests or paperwork
- Loads, unloads, or handles hazardous waste shipments
- Sells, tests, reconditions, or repairs HAZMAT packaging
- Screens hazardous cargo
- Transports hazardous shipments or drives a vehicle transporting HAZMAT
- Accepts, transfers, or unloads hazardous cargo
- Trains or supervises any of the above personnel
- Hasn’t been certified in HAZMAT regulations within the past three years
What’s Included in DOT HAZMAT Training
HAZMAT employees need to be trained on all Hazardous Materials Regulations that apply to the functions they perform. DOT HAZMAT training will include: general awareness training, function-specific training, safety training, security awareness training, and in-depth security training.
1. General Awareness Training
As the name suggests, General Awareness Training covers the basics of hazardous materials shipping and handling. Students will learn how to identify and recognize hazards before they move onto function-specific training. In this module, HAZMAT employees will also learn of one of the most important aspects of DOT HAZMAT training—the Hazardous Materials Table.
DOT’s Hazardous Materials Table
The Hazardous Materials Table is found at 49 CFR 172.101 and is typically introduced in the general awareness portion of DOT HAZMAT training. It identifies over 3,000 of the most commonly transported hazardous materials and lists them alphabetically by their proper shipping name. The HAZMAT table explains all information necessary to complete shipping papers, mark and label the package, select appropriate placarding and comply with other regulations.
The table is divided into ten major column headings. The first five columns in the table give a basic description of the materials, while the second five columns provide more specific information regarding the packaging, marking, and labeling of the packages.
2. DOT HazMat Function-Specific Training
Once the student has been introduced to the basics of HAZMAT, they will need to complete training that’s specific to their role when working with hazardous materials. For example, an employee who prepares shipping papers will be taking a different function training course than the truck driver who loads and unloads HAZMAT.
3. Safety Training
Hazardous materials are not safe—that’s why their name literally includes the word “hazardous”. As such, HAZMAT employees must complete a training module on safety best practices when working with hazardous materials.
This training will be tailored to the specific hazard that the company works with and will include information on how to safely handle HAZMAT, procedures for avoiding accidents, and how to respond to an emergency situation.
4. Security Awareness Training
This training module was added to the HAZMAT training course after 9/11 and covers the security risks that are associated with hazardous materials. Topics covered include: vehicle security, how to keep employees safe, and how to recognize potential security threats. This course is an introductory security course that’s used to prepare students for their In-Depth Security Training.
5. In-Depth Security Training
The last module of HAZMAT training is tailored to each company’s specific security plan. In this course, students will learn of their company’s required security plan, their company’s security objectives, employee responsibilities, specific safety procedures, and actions employees must take in the event of a security breach.
Although the employees have completed their required HAZMAT training, the work isn’t complete for employers. Employers still need to manage the HAZMAT training records.
DOT HAZMAT Training Records
HAZMAT employers are responsible for keeping the appropriate records as proof of their employee’s compliance. The Department of Transportation can audit a HAZMAT business at any time, and they will be looking for HAZMAT employee training records that are required in 49 CFR 172.704. The training records must include the following:
- The employee’s name
- Completion date of the most recent training
- A copy and description of the training materials
- The location of the training session
- The name and address of the trainer
- Employee’s certification that they have been trained
Employers need to keep records for each employee for three years from the date of their last training. If an employee leaves the company, employers still need to keep their records for 90 days after their last day on the job. Now that we’ve covered an introduction to DOT HAZMAT training from start to finish, you’re ready to take your official training course. Sign up and comply with government regulations today!
