subject: Rcra Training Ensures The Safety Of The Personnel And The Environment [print this page] Waste management s becoming an issue that needs to be dealt with extreme care and precaution because its nature is changing fast and they are causing more harm to human beings than they used to. Therefore, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act require that the personnel associated with any kind of facility that generates hazardous waste be trained for the proper management of the wastes.
The kind of training and its level is determined on the basis of the waste that is produced by the facility in a month. On the basis of the waste generation there are three kinds of facilities.
Conditionally exempt small quantity generators or CESQGs facilities that generate up to 220 pounds or 100 kilograms of hazardous waste in a month
Small quantity generators or SQGs facilities that generate between 220 and 2,200 pounds or 100 and 1,000 kilograms of hazardous waste in a month
Large quantity generators or LQGs facilities that generate more than 2,200 pounds or 1,000 kilograms of hazardous waste in a month
There are separate training modules for each of the facility types, given below are the general requirement of the regulations for the LGQs.
Each personnel handling the hazardous waste must complete the requisite classroom training. The requirement will vary on the basis of the duties of the personnel.
The training must be given by trained personnel only. It will include among other things, devising a contingency plan in case of emergency.
New employees must get the training within 6 months of joining the job or before they are assigned to any job unsupervised.
The training must be reviewed every year.
The training records, both the classroom training as well as the OJT, of the employees must be kept as long as the facility is operational. In case of the former employees, the records must be retained for 3 years after they leave the job.
Even though there is no formal training for the CESQGs and only basic training for the employees of the SQGs, it is important that they are told about the kind of goods they handle and the dangers that improper handling might pose.
The RCRA training is not only important for the employees of the various hazardous waste generating facilities, but for anyone who comes in contact of such waste materials on a regular basis. A number of companies specialize in giving the training. Not only do they train the employees, they also help them to enrich their knowledge about the new addition in the regulations.
