site communications, safe work practices, the

use of a “buddy system,” and identification of

the nearest medical aid.

• Employee training for everyone working on a

hazardous waste site.

• Medical surveillance of workers exposed at 

or above permissible exposure limits for hazardous substances, conducted (1) at least 

annually, (2) when a worker moves to a new

worksite, (3) when a worker experiences exposure from unexpected or emergency releases

and (4) at the end of employment.

Other requirements include controls to reduce

and monitor exposure levels of hazardous materials, an informational program describing any

exposure during operations and the inspection of

drums and containers prior to removal or opening. Decontamination procedures and emergency

response plans (described under Emergency

Response) must be in place before employees

begin working in hazardous waste operations.

Employers must also create safer environments

by developing and implementing effective new

technologies.

RCRA Sites

In addition to programs for safety and health,

training, medical surveillance, decontamination,

new technology and emergency response,

employers at RCRA sites also need the following:

• A written hazard communication program

meeting the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1200.

• Procedures to effectively control and handle

drums and containers.

Emergency Response

Employers must develop an emergency response

plan to handle possible on-site emergencies and

coordinate off-site response. Rehearsed regularly

and reviewed/amended periodically, the plan

must address: personnel roles; lines of authority,

training and communications; emergency recognition and prevention; site security; evacuation

OSHA’s standards for general industry and the

construction industry on hazardous waste operations and emergency response (29 CFR 1910.120

or 29 CFR 1926.65) cover all employees involved in:

• Clean-up operations of hazardous substances at

uncontrolled hazardous waste sites required by

Federal, state, local or other governments;

• Corrective actions involving clean-up procedures at sites covered by the Resource

Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA);

• Voluntary clean-up operations at sites recognized as uncontrolled hazardous waste sites by

Federal, state, local or other governments;

• Operations involving hazardous waste that are

conducted at treatment, storage and disposal

facilities licensed under RCRA;

• Emergency response operations for hazardous

substance releases or substantial threats of

releases.

Exceptions are permitted if the employer can

demonstrate that the operation does not involve

employee exposure or a reasonable possibility of

such exposure to hazards.

State and local government employees are 

covered by equivalent standards in the 26 states

with OSHA-approved state plans and by the

Environment Protection Agency’s hazardous waste

standard in states without plans.

Hazardous Waste Operations

Each employer must have:

• A written, readily-accessible safety and health

program that identifies, evaluates and controls

safety and health hazards and provides for

emergency response.

• A preliminary site evaluation conducted by a

qualified person to identify potential site hazards and to aid in the selection of appropriate

employee protection methods.

• A site control program to protect employees

against hazardous contamination. At a minimum it must have a site map, site work zones,

FactSheet

Hazardous Waste Operations and

Emergency Response
routes and procedures; decontamination procedures; emergency medical treatment; and emergency alerting procedures. Training is required

before employees engage in hazardous waste

operations and emergency response.

Training Requirements

Uncontrolled hazardous waste operations

• 40 hours of initial training; 3 days of actual field

experience for regular employees to be certified.

• 24 hours of initial training; 1 day of supervised

field experience for employees visiting the site

occasionally.

• 8 hours of additional waste management training for supervisors and managers.

• 8 hours of annual refresher training.

Treatment, storage and disposal facilities licensed

under RCRA

• 24 hours of training.

• 8 hours of annual refresher training.

Emergency response operations at sites not

RCRA licensed or at uncontrolled hazardous

waste site clean-ups

1) First responders at the “awareness level” (witness or discover a hazardous substance release

and initiate the emergency response) must

demonstrate competency in areas such as recognizing the presence of hazardous materials in an

This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies or 

standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of 

compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal

Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.

The voice phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627.

emergency, the risks involved and the role they

play in their employer’s plan. 

2) First responders at the “operations level”

(respond to prevent the spread, exposures to and

the further release of hazardous materials) must

have 8 hours of training plus “awareness level”

competency.

3) Hazardous materials technicians (respond to

stop the release) must have 24 hours of training

equal to the “operations level” and know how to

implement the employer’s plan and carry out

decontamination.

4) Hazardous materials specialists (require specific

knowledge of the substances to be contained)

must have 24 hours of training equal to the “technical level” and act as liaison with all government

authorities.

5) On-scene incident commanders (assume control of the scene) must have 24 hours of training

equal to the “operations level” and demonstrate

competence in implementing the incident command system, the employer’s plan and the state

and local emergency response plans.

Annual refresher training is required for each level

of response.

For further information about hazardous waste

operations and emergency response, please visit

OSHA’s Hazardous Waste page at www.osha.gov.

U.S. Department of Labor

www.osha.gov

(800) 321-OSHA

Think Safety!

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