Transcript
Gabriel Minjarez here with Blackline Safety, Regional Sales Manager of the Rocky Mountain Territory. We are here at ASSP '24 here in Denver. And today, I wanted to clear up three common misconceptions about hazardous or chemical safety in the workplace.
First, a lot of people think that, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response or "HAZWOPER" training is just specific for industries or those that are directly handling hazardous material. That's not true, first and foremost. HAZWOPER training is crucial for anyone who might or at any time be exposed to hazardous substances or environments. This also includes the more obvious environmental cleanup workers and workers at hazardous waste sites, but also workers in construction, manufacturing, health care, oil and gas, emergency responders, and other industries who may come across hazardous materials outside of their regular duties.
Second, the idea that once a worker has been trained, you have to fulfill your requirements is simply not enough. Being familiar with best practices does not guarantee safety as well as HAZWOPER training, and is not a one-time requirement. Familiarity can lead to complacency from that standpoint, but, also, workers need to refresh their knowledge and their skills regularly so because hazardous substance and material environments they encounter can change over time. Regular refreshers ensure that workers stay up-to-date with the latest safety protocols, practices, in the workplace from that standpoint.
And the third, and final, misconception, for HAZWOPER is that is is, HAZWOPER is only the responsibility of the frontline workers and that is not the best approach for a company. Not true. Safety is a collective responsibility. A strong safety culture, involves everyone from the top managers to the frontline workers all the way down. It's not just up to a few people to to ensure safety. And the last thing is that we all need to prioritize safety, communication, safety practices on a regular basis to reinforce their endurance, be proactive in identifying risk, and take steps to manage those risks effectively.
Let's all make a commitment together to making safety a priority. Thanks for watching. Thanks for joining us. See you next time.