Why is everybody going online? Why do you need to be online either? This is because everybody is going digital and they enjoy the convenience that it offers. When it comes to training for your hazardous materials job, there could not be a better opportunity for you to learn the most critical skills relevant to this line of trade than the internet. If you are involved in the transport of hazardous materials or any of your drivers or motor carriers carry such goods across state lines, this blog is for you.
If you happen to be an aspiring driver or transport professional looking to enter this industry, this blog is again for you. Why taking an online course in hazmat management and transportation will prove to be highly beneficial for you should be apparent after reading this piece of important information. Let’s begin:
But First, Let’s Understand What Dot Hazmat Training Is All About
According to the Department of Transportation created in the 1960s, the biggest responsibility that you should be fulfilling as an active player in the transportation and logistics sector is that of improving the transportation system within your organization. The Department of Transportation helps you do this and a lot more. There is a specific set of skills that are required by all your drivers, supervisors, managers, and other workers if they transport and manage any kind of hazardous materials.
Any company that falls under the dot regulation should uphold these regulations without fail. Hazmat training educates your drivers and related personnel in identifying hazardous materials, setting safety standards, moving them from one point to another without inviting any risks, and a lot more. People who perform the following tasks should readily enroll in an online dot hazmat course without any delay:
- Individuals involved in the provision of transportation services for hazardous materials
- Persons responsible for packaging and labeling hazardous material containers
- Workers involved in loading and unloading hazardous materials from transport vehicles
- People driving these vehicles to their destination point
- Individuals involved in forwarding hazardous material packages
- People involved in manufacturing the packaging required to store these materials
- Personnel responsible for testing packaging materials
So, hazardous material training equips your employees, workers, and other personnel in packaging, shipping, labeling, accepting, loading, unloading, transporting, and storing hazardous materials on the job efficiently. Remember, it is not going to be limited to just ground traffic. It encompasses transport by rail, water, and air as well.
Now Let’s Take A Look At A Few Critical Training Categories
If you are looking to enroll in a dot hazmat training module, there will be a few segregations. These cover 6 general areas. These can also be understood as various segments that the online course is going to focus on, namely:
- Hazardous material awareness program
- Function-specific training program
- Safety methods and protocols
- Hazardous materials security awareness module
- Company-wide security plan
- Driver training specific to the hazardous material being transported
Now, your entire workforce will most probably be dispersed across all these functions. The majority of them will specialize in a few of them which means that not all segments or modules are recommended for every employee. For example, driver training is not mandatory or compulsory for all hazardous material employees. Similarly, somebody involved in creating and implementing a security plan might not need to get themselves trained in function-specific guidelines and protocols.
The Functioning Of DOT Hazmat Online Courses – A Few Pointers You Must Be Aware Of
The duration of the course is going to depend upon the module or category that you have chosen. For example, hazmat general awareness training and function-specific training courses are the longest of all in many cases. The bottom line is that you need to make sure that the course you have chosen satisfies the training requirements of your workers under 49 CFR Part 172 of the Department of Transportation.
The course should be relevant to the job responsibilities Defined by your managerial heads. As hazardous materials and certain other kinds of dangerous goods evolve due to technological advancement and better formulations, security protocols and safety guidelines should also evolve. The course you choose should provide for these upgrades as well.
A bare minimum of 90 minutes is required to complete one segment. Some of them might take a little longer while others could take much less time to complete. Also, all of your hazmat employees must initiate their training within 90 days of the commencement of their employment. Training in the same module repeatedly is mandatory if the job description of the employee or the functions expected of them change periodically.
Are There Any Fines And Penalties Arising Out Of Non-Compliance With The Dot Hazmat Mandate?
Do you even have to ask? Actually, you should because you need to be aware of these penalties for they can damage the reputation of your business irreparably. So the following situations are going to call for non-compliance fines and penalties on your business and you should be aware of them:
- Lack of any initial training for your hazmat employees
- Lack of repeated training for your hazmat employees
- No security training program in place
- No training records with you
- Absence of a security plan
- Undeclared shipments
- Absence of shipping papers/documents
Discovering The Biggest Advantage Of Enrolling In An Online Course Today
This is a no-brainer because enrolling your employees and workers in an online course is going to make their lives a lot more convenient. Your employees can start and stop the course whenever they want. They can rejoin the course whenever they have time. It is not required of them to take off from work to be present in lectures or classes on-site. All the information, relevant tools, tutorials, and curriculum are available on their smartphones and certain proprietary apps provided by the online course provider you choose. It saves you time and does away with unnecessary investment in computer hardware, software purchase subscriptions, and a lot more.
It is probably the easiest and most affordable way to maintain hazmat-related compliance throughout the year. If you are thinking seriously about getting your employees and workers trained in hazardous materials handling and transportation, this is the right time to go the digital way.
