UCLA LOSH offers Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training courses in both English and Spanish to public and private sector workers who are or may be engaged in work involving hazardous substances, including hazardous waste. 

Our HAZWOPER training courses are instructed by our team who consists of certified industrial hygienists, environmental scientists and engineers, emergency responders, and health and safety educators with years of experience. Our training courses provide:  

  • Education on health and safety practices to eliminate or reduce injuries and illnesses related to exposure to hazardous conditions and substances 
  • Education on preventing, assessing, and controlling uncontrolled releases of hazardous substances into the environment 
  • Education on worker’s rights   
  • Hands-on field activities and exercises 
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving opportunities through scenario-based activities 

UCLA LOSH offers the following HAZWOPER courses that meet the training requirements of Cal/OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard (Title 8 California Code of Regulation [CCR] 5192). Emergency response courses are certified through the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI). 

  • 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Course
  • 24-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations Course 
  • 8-Hour Annual Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Refresher Course 
  • Emergency Response Courses
    • First Responder Awareness Level (FRA)
    • First Responder Operations Level (FRO)
    • Hazardous Materials Technician 
    • Incident Commander (IC)

Upcoming Trainings

Interested in enrolling in a HAZWOPER training course? See calendar icons below for more details on upcoming trainings. 

Are you interested in scheduling or hosting any of the training courses below? Email us at hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu with your inquiries. 

Information regarding the next HAZWOPER Training:

During the training, participants are given the opportunity to wear different types of respiratory equipment. It is not mandatory that participants wear this equipment to successfully complete the training. If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, we require participants to have completed a medical evaluation and obtained a medical determination; these shall be performed by a physician or other licensed health-care professional according to the Cal/OSHA General Industry Safety Order 5144.

Please provide us with a copy of your medical determination prior to the training or bring a copy of it to the first day of class. Participants who DO NOT provide a copy of their medical determination will NOT be able to wear respiratory equipment, but will be shown a demonstration of its use.

We reserve the right to require attendees to wear masks or test for COVID, based on any COVID surges, training site requests, and any changes of Local, State, and Federal guidelines.

8-Hour Refresher Training Dates:

Price: $150 

Please check back or contact hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu for future dates.

Emergency Response Courses Training Dates:

Emergency Response Courses will be scheduled according to demand. If you are interested in enrolling or hosting one of these courses, please email our team at Hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu.

Start Your Enrollment Process Here!

Steps to Enroll for a Course

Please complete all four steps to successfully enroll for a course. Note: To be added to the roster, students must enroll at least 3 business days before the course begins.

  • Step 2: Invoice

    After submitting your registration, you will receive a confirmation email and invoice with payment instructions within 1-2 business days from the email Hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu.

  • Step 3: Payment

    Once you receive an invoice, please head over to CASHNet to make a payment for the amount stated on your invoice.

  • Step 4: Confirmation

    Once you have submitted your payment, please forward your receipt to the email: Hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu to finalize your enrollment process.

Training Descriptions

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Course Overview 

Our 40-Hour HAZWOPER training course includes a mixture of live-instruction, demonstrations, and hands-on activities and field exercises that are similar to scenarios general site workers involved in HAZWOPER activities would encounter. This course meets the initial training requirement for general site workers found in Cal/OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard. 

During the 40-Hour training, workers will have the opportunity to observe and participate in instrument use exercises, barrel over packing/leaking drum demonstrations, initial site survey exercises, decontamination exercises, barrel content identification exercises, sampling exercises, and confined space equipment demonstrations. 

In addition to receiving 40-hours of initial training, general site workers must also receive a minimum of three days actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained experienced supervisor per Cal/OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard. 

Topics referenced in our 40-Hour training course include:  

  • Cal/OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard 
  • Health hazards
  • Safety hazards and safe work practices and procedures
  • Confined spaces hazards and entry restrictions
  • Emergency response planning and procedures
  • Materials handling procedures 
  • Sampling procedures
  • Respiratory protection
  • Personal protective ensembles (levels A, B, C, and D) 
  • Decontamination
  • Worker rights and responsibilities
  • Medical surveillance 
  • Instrumentation
  • Site safety and health plans
  • Hazard Communication standard.

This course has been approved by the California Department of Public Health to provide 40 REHS Continuing Education Hours (4.0 CEUs).   

Course Overview 

Our initial 24-Hour training course includes a mixture of live-instruction, demonstrations, hands-on activities and simulated scenario-based exercises occasional site workers who have limited exposure to hazardous substances (including hazardous waste) but may participate in hazardous waste operations, clean-up operations, and controlled emergency response activities would encounter. This course meets the initial training requirement for occasional site workers found in Cal/OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard.  

During the 24-Hour training, workers will have the opportunity to observe and participate in instrument use exercises, sampling exercises, personal protective equipment and respirator demonstrations, and creating site safety and health plans. 

In addition to receiving 24-hours of initial training, occasional site workers must also receive a minimum of one day of actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained experienced supervisor per Cal/OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard before they are allowed to enter the site. 

Topics referenced in our 24-hour training course include:  

  • Cal/OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard 
  • Health hazards 
  • Safety hazards 
  • Confined spaces: Awareness
  • Emergency response: Overview 
  • Respiratory protection: Awareness
  • Personal protective equipment: Awareness
  • Decontamination: Awareness
  • Worker rights and responsibilities
  • Medical surveillance 
  • Site safety and health plans 
  • Hazard Communication standard

This course has been approved by the California Department of Public Health to provide 24 REHS Continuing Education Hours (2.4 CEUs).   

Course Overview 

The 8-Hour HAZWOPER refresher training course provides up to date information on relevant health and safety topics and practices pertaining to hazardous waste management and emergency response. Our course features live-instruction, interactive breakout group sessions, and problem-solving exercises based on scenarios workers may or have encountered on the job.

Topics referenced in our refresher training courses include but are not limited to:  

  • Hazard recognition, evaluation, and control 
  • Chemical, physical, safety, and biological hazards 
  • Air monitoring 
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Health and safety program requirements and regulations 

This course has been approved by the California Department of Public Health to provide 8 REHS Continuing Education Hours (0.8 CEUs).   

Course Overview

This 8-hour course is designed to train first responders who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous substance release. First responders will be trained to initiate an emergency response sequence by notifying the proper authorities of the release and to take no further action beyond notification.  

This course will be taught by a CSTI certified outreach instructor. Upon successful completion of a course, participants will be issued a state certificate from CSTI/ Cal OES.

Course Overview

This 16-hour course is designed to train first responders to respond to hazardous materials emergencies in a defensive fashion without actually trying to stop the release. First responders will be trained to contain the release from a safe distance, keep it from spreading, and prevent exposure to nearby persons, property, or the environment.

This course will be taught by a CSTI certified outreach instructor. Upon successful completion of a course, participants will be issued a state certificate from CSTI/ Cal OES.

Course Overview

This 24-hour course is designed to train individuals to respond to hazardous materials emergencies in an offensive fashion. Individuals will be trained to approach the point of release in order to plug, patch, or otherwise stop the release of a hazardous substance. First Responder Operations (FRO) is a prerequisite for this course. 

This course will be taught by a CSTI certified outreach instructor. Upon successful completion of a course, participants will be issued a state certificate from CSTI/ Cal OES.

Course Overview

This 16-hour course is designed to train first responders to formally assume control of the incident scene upon arrival. Individuals will be trained to manage hazardous materials emergencies beyond that of a First Responder. First Responder Operations (FRO) and ICS-100 (can be taken for free from fema.gov) are prerequisites for this course. These two course prerequisites combined with the 16-hour incident commander course, meets the Cal/OSHA 24-hour training requirement.

This course will be taught by a CSTI certified outreach instructor. Upon successful completion of a course, participants will be issued a state certificate from CSTI/ Cal OES.

Who Should Take This Training

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The 40-Hour HAZWOPER training course provides initial off-site training for general site workers and on-site supervisors and management who oversee general site workers.*

General site workers, such as general laborers and equipment operators, engaged in hazardous substance removal or other activities which expose or potentially expose workers to hazardous substances and health hazards should receive 40-Hour training.

*On-site supervisors and management directly responsible for or who supervise general site workers are required to have the same training as the workers they supervise and at least 8 additional hours of specialized hazardous waste operations management training.

The 24-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations course provides initial off-site training for occasional site workers and on-site supervisors and management who oversee occasional site workers.*

Workers who are on site only on occasion for a specific limited task (such as, but not limited to water monitoring or land surveying) and who are unlikely to be exposed over permissible exposure limits and published exposure limits should receive 24-Hour training.

*On-site supervisors and management directly responsible for or who supervise occasional site workers are required to have the same training as the workers they supervise and at least 8 additional hours of specialized hazardous waste operations management training.

Workers who have previously completed a 40-Hour or 24-Hour HAZWOPER are required to receive a 8-hour refresher training annually per Cal/OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard.

These courses are intended for firefighters, government employees, military personnel, and private industry emergency responders who are engaged in emergency response no matter where it occurs.

FAQs

STEP 1: REGISTER

Please head over to the Register for Training page to begin your class registration.

STEP 2: INVOICE

After submitting your registration, you will receive a confirmation email and invoice with payment instructions within 1-2 business days from the email Hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu. *Please check your spam and junk folder if you are unable to find this e-mail in your inbox. 

STEP 3: PAYMENT

Once you receive an invoice, please head over to CASHNet to make a payment for the amount stated on your invoice.

STEP 4: CONFIRMATION

Once you have submitted your payment, please forward your receipt to the email: Hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu to finalize your enrollment process.

We can offer training for up to twenty-20 students per class. This applies for both on-line and in-person courses. If you are part of a specialized industry, we can also provide training that is specific to your team’s needs. Please email Hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu.

We currently offer two training sessions online.  

  • 24-hour HAZARDOUS Waste Operations 
  • 8-hour Annual Refresher

Once you are enrolled and have attended our classes, you are automatically added to our system and are given full access to the training PowerPoints and documents from here on out.

Please save your CANVAS account credentials – we will NOT be able to recover your login and password for you.

It is strongly encouraged that you receive an 8-hour Refresher training annually of completing the 40-hr training to maintain your HAZWOPER certification. 

There may be times where our training dates may not correspond with your required training schedule, so please plan accordingly take the next available class. 

Here is an interpretation from OSHA’s website that suggests what to do : 

“Employees should stay up-to-date in the refresher training, although OSHA does understand that courses may be missed because of unavoidable circumstances. If you have missed a refresher training course, you must attend the next available course. If a substantial amount of time has passed since your initial or refresher training, then repeating the initial training may be necessary. The time frame within which it would be necessary to provide extensive retraining must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, workers must be trained sufficiently to allow them to perform their expected job duties in a safe and healthful manner.”

Source gathered from OSHA HAZWOPER FAQ

Hear from Our Trainees

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 Contact Us

Contact the hazwoper team at: Hazwoper@irle.ucla.edu.

Acknowledgement

Materials created for our HAZWOPER Training Courses are created by UCLA LOSH under a grant funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP). 

UCLA LOSH is the lead agency for the Western Region Universities Consortium (WRUC), a consortium of four university-based programs across the western United States. Partner agencies include Arizona State University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Washington.