The Superfund Essentials webinar series presents essential information for environmental staff with little Superfund experience. The webinar introduces the Superfund program and gives an overview of the statutory and regulatory requirements. The removal and remedial process modules describe the assessment and response process followed by OSCs and RPMs as they address their sites. The webinar closes out by explaining the community involvement program and its role in Superfund and a discussion on the site assessment process. 

Objectives: After taking the webinar series, the participants will be able to (1) explain the provisions and requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), (2) follow the assessment and response process for conducting removal and remedial actions, (3) describe the community involvement program and their part in cleanup actions, and (4) explain the importance of several special topics to the Superfund program.

This series is not open to Academia, consultants, contractors or other private entities. 

This 3-day course is designed for workers on site only occasionally for a specific limited task unlikely to be exposed over permissible exposure limits, or regularly on a site working in areas which have been monitored and fully characterized, and where respirators and wearing elevated protection levels of PPE are not necessary. It provides the basic information needed to meet the 24-hour training requirements of the OSHA 1910.120(e)(3)(ii) and 1910.120(e)(3)(iii) Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Standard.

IMPORTANT:  All EPA staff travel required to attend this "In-Person" course is being closely monitored/scrutinized for mandatory EPA 5170-related cost compliance tracking with the Region POC for this course.  Therefore, if you plan to submit a travel authorization to attend, please discuss beforehand with the designated Region POC and/or email ertp-h&s@epa.gov.  Generally, this travel cost monitoring requirement is not applicable to non-U.S. EPA staff or partner agencies & staff when the partner agency is responsible for travel expenses related to their employee travel.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This 5-day course is designed for personnel involved with the investigation and remediation of uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and, to a lesser extent, response to an incident involving hazardous substances. It provides basic information needed to meet the 40-hour training requirements of the OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 (e)(3)(i) Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standard.

After completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify methods and procedures for recognizing, evaluating, and controlling hazardous substances.
• Identify concepts, principles, and guidelines to properly protect site or response personnel.
• Discuss regulations and action levels to ensure health and safety of the workers.
• Discuss fundamentals needed to develop organizational structure and standard operating procedures.
• Demonstrate and comprehend respiratory program requirements and the selection and use of respiratory protection equipment and chemically protective clothing. Combined, these are known as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Demonstrate the use, calibration, and limitations of direct-reading air monitoring instruments.
• Participate in on-site clean-up operations conducted at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites, and clean-up operations at sites covered by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) as amended (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.).

Participants will be trained in hazardous waste operations, team functions, personnel health and safety procedures, and operation of field monitoring equipment.

Note: Completing this 40-hour HAZWOPER course provides the training required to access uncontrolled and fully monitored and characterized hazardous waste sites and participate in response activities to an incident involving hazardous materials, wearing elevated protection levels of PPE.  The 24-hour HAZWOPER course only provides training sufficient to access fully monitored and characterized hazardous waste sites and excludes training to wear elevated levels of PPE.

In some segments of the course, participants are required to wear PPE, including Level A encapsulating suits and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). It should be noted that wearing encapsulating suits may be stressful to some individuals and wearing respirators precludes individuals from wearing eyeglasses. Participants who are severely restricted without their glasses should be aware that their participation may be limited unless they have contact lenses and/or their own respirator spectacle kit. Respirator fit-testing is not required prior to attending this course.

NOTE: In accordance with the Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 CFR 1910.134(e), a medical clearance to wear a respirator is required to attend this course. Each student must include with their registration a formal verification from their safety officer, physician, or other licensed health care professional that clearly states that a medical evaluation has been completed and that the student has been medically cleared to wear respiratory protection equipment. This must be received prior to the course start date.

The medical questionnaire to be completed and provided to their safety officer or physician is located at 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix C, OSHA Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire.

Registration will not be completed, nor will confirmation be sent, until such proof is received by the HazTrain Registrar. If registration is done on-line, a copy of the respiratory document can be emailed to ERTP-H&S@epa.gov.

It is highly recommendedyou complete the FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) Classes 100, 200, 700 and 800 prior to attending. This training is available for free on the FEMA website.

The 40-hour HAZWOPER course is not a substitute for the EPA employee requirement of completing the initial 24-hour Field Safety & Health Training.  EPA employee managers and supervisors should contact their local Safety Health & Environmental Manager for more information.

29 CFR 1910.120 Select Regulation Descriptions:

1910.120(e)(3)(i)  40-Hour course for General Site Worker

General site workers (such as equipment operators, general laborers and supervisory personnel) engaged in hazardous substance removal or other activities which expose or potentially expose workers to hazardous substances and health hazards shall receive a minimum of 40 hours of instruction off the site, and a minimum of three days actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained experienced supervisor.

1910.120(e)(3)(ii)  24-Hour course for occasional site workers

Workers on site only occasionally for a specific limited task (such as, but not limited to, ground water monitoring, land surveying, or geophysical surveying) and who are unlikely to be exposed over permissible exposure limits and published exposure limits shall receive a minimum of 24 hours of instruction off the site, and the minimum of one day actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.

1910.120(e)(3)(iii) 24-Hour course for regular workers on fully characterized sites

Workers regularly on site who work in areas which have been monitored and fully characterized indicating that exposures are under permissible exposure limits and published exposure limits where respirators are not necessary,and the characterization indicates that there are no health hazards or the possibility of an emergency developing, shall receive a minimum of 24 hours of instruction off the site, and the minimum of one day actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.

To view the complete regulation, please visit:

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.120

IMPORTANT NOTICES -- applicable to all ERTP training courses: 

1.  ERTP’s receipt of a Trainex course registration is a Registration Request, it is not a Guaranteed Enrollment in the Course. All ERTP training courses require applicant registration thru the Trainex system.  Last minute course arrivals without prior ERTP Trainex course registration approval is not permitted.  Before ERTP issues final approval to deliver any course and/or any EPA offices incurring expenses for the training event (including but not limited to EPA staff travel TA’s and/or ERTP training contractor expenses incurred), all EPA mandatory pre-approvals must all be met. The pre-approvals include (but are not limited to) the following:
Training location’s availability;
COVID status and/or other COVID Guidelines in effect for the location, as well as staff;

• Agency limitations, scrutiny, and approvals of ‘Conference Spending Requirements (known as the “5170”)’ for the specific training course(s) scheduled delivery timeframe;
• Weather (blizzard, hurricane, etc);
• Contractual number of available course training slots;
• EPA training location staff having priority registration over all other registrations; and/or
• Hosting site Training Coordinator approval.

In the event a course is subsequently postponed or canceled, or notification of registration cancellation is received, all EPA travel arrangements (airline/car rental/hotel) should be canceled in a timely manner. Registered students will receive a notification via email if/when a course is postponed and/or cancelled.

2.  For in-person course deliveries, confirmed course registered participants must abide by all facility physical access requirements for the location (examples: check-in at the security gate, Federal ID, Government PIV/CAC cards, photo id’s, etc.).  If applicable for the course or location, restrictions may apply to non-citizens and acceptable identification may be required for facility entry.  Unless otherwise specified, ERTP TRAINING IS GENERALLY NOT OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES, ACADEMIA, CONTRACTORS, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER PRIVATE ENTITIES.

Waste Treatment, Transportation and Disposal, a 2.5-day advanced training course, focuses on specific technical and regulatory issues that On-Scene Coordinators (OSC) and Remedial Project Managers (RPM) must address when treating, transporting and disposing of waste. By taking the course, participants will achieve the following objectives:

• Learn a step-by-step approach to the treatment, transportation and disposal of waste. The course discusses oversight of the major steps in procuring cost-effective and efficient treatment, transportation and disposal of waste. The course explores the complex definitions of solid and hazardous waste and provides real-life examples of how to decide whether wastes are RCRA hazardous during a removal action.
• Discover practical recommendations for improving the treatment, transportation and disposal process. The course stresses some obvious and other less obvious aspects helpful in improving the transportation and disposal process.
• Master information about the identification and analysis of waste. Participants will obtain information from experienced professionals about the process of identifying and analyzing special waste types and to arrange for treatment, transportation and disposal of waste.

Waste Treatment, Transportation and Disposal is an advanced-level training course intended for EPA OSCs and other EPA removal program personnel. The course is designed to equip OSCs with the information they need to plan for the treatment, transportation and disposal of wastes generated from removal actions. Other EPA environmental professionals, such as RPMs, site assessment managers, remedial program staff, and Special Team members may also benefit from the course. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES, STATES, LOCAL AGENCIES, TRIBES, ACADEMIA, CONTRACTORS, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER PRIVATE ENTITIES.

*This course is offered free of charge to all registrants who are confirmed to attend.*