The original “Minimum Criteria for Worker Health and Safety Training for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)” (Minimum Criteria) was developed through a participatory national technical workshop in 1990 and issued by the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) in 1991. This guidance was also published as a non-mandatory Appendix E to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) HAZWOPER standard. At various points since then, the Minimum Criteria document has been updated to reflect developments in training and the evolving priorities of the WTP. The most recent version, posted below, incorporates feedback from participants at the WTP Fall 2017 National Technical Workshop. The guidance is primarily intended for organizations that provide hazardous waste worker and emergency response training under grants from NIEHS, but may likewise prove valuable to any organization that provides similar occupational health and safety training.

Training Resources

WTP Resources

• Minimum Health and Safety Training Criteria: Guidance for HAZWOPER and HAZWOPER-Supporting Training(8.5MB) (Updated June 2018)
• 2018 Minimum Criteria Guidance: A Summary of Changes(2.9MB)
• WTP 1997-1998 Compendium – Does a Collateral Duty Require Less Protection?: Workers, Hazardous Materials, Emergency Response, and OSHA’s Failure to Protect(320KB)

WTP Technical Workshops

• Fall 2017 Technical Workshop – Ensuring Up-to-Date Guidance: Revising the NIEHS Minimum Health and Safety Training Criteria
• Spring 2005 Technical Workshop – Keeping Quality Current: An Update of the NIEHS Minimum Criteria for Worker Health and Safety Training for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
• Spring 2001 NIEHS/OSHA Joint Technical Workshop – Best Practices for Worker Training
• Spring 1999 Technical Workshop – Computer and Internet-Based Learning Methods for Safety and Health Training

Federal Links and Documents

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Guidelines for HazMat/WMD Response, Planning, and Prevention Training: Guidance for Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Grant Program

OSHA

• HAZWOPER Standard (29 CFR 1910.120)
• HAZWOPER Standard Informational Booklet

Other Links and Documents

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards

• NFPA 471: Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents
• NFPA 472: Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents
• NFPA 473: Standard for Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents