More Instructors Updated and Certified for Hazardous Waste Training

Fifty-five LIUNA Certified Hazardous Waste Instructors from 13 different training centers received updated information on the environmental remediation industry, work practices, and curricula modifications at three Hazardous Waste Instructor Refresher courses. Held this March, the two-day training completed their annual course requirement.

In addition, 11 new instructors received their initial Hazardous Waste Instructor training at the New England Laborers' training site in Pomfret Center, CT. Participants learned how to train certified hazardous waste workers and practiced their technical skills on a mock waste site. They also performed hands-on training in confined space rescue techniques and demonstrated proper use of sampling and ventilation equipment. The New England Laborers' Training Trust Fund (NELTA) hosted both courses.

LIUNA training sites certify or refresh more than 5,000 hazardous waste workers every year. Worker requests for Hazardous Waste Worker training have recently increased for several reasons: the training provides hazard awareness and safety skills demanded more frequently on a wide variety of construction and environmental remediation jobs; many apprenticeship programs require it; and, many members are taking advantage of the slow down in work to add to their skills with more training.

A unique part of the Instructor Refresher training included a live presentation by Donald Elisburg, Esq. via an Internet video telecommunications link. He discussed the 23 years of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Hazardous Waste Worker Training grant and the OSHA Hazard Communication standard revisions. Participants were also able to pose questions on environmental law and worker health and safety.

Mr. Elisburg has long been a proponent of worker rights and protection of worker health and safety. He was instrumental in the earliest efforts to include worker training and protection in the Superfund reauthorization. He also helped craft the recommended components of a quality HW worker training program. These criteria serve as the foundation for our Hazardous Waste Worker training. Mr. Elisburg continues to provide us with invaluable program support which is instrumental to its success.

At the refresher classes, we also provide an in-depth look at a topic of interest. This year participants learned about the United Nations initiative for hazard communication and labeling; discussed proposed revisions to OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard; and heard a presentation on the EPA's Green Remediation initiatives.

Three more refresher courses will be held in August, where another 90 instructors from 20 sites are expected to take part. They will be held at the Construction Industry Laborers Training Fund of Western Missouri and Kansas in Belton, Missouri.