What Are the RCRA Training Requirements?

There's a good reason why the hazardous waste disposal market is expected to reach $28.6 billion by the year 2032. Whether it's electronics or medical supplies, we produce a lot of hazardous waste.

And, to be safe for the environment, this waste needs to be disposed of by people with the proper training. That's why companies with property RCRA certifications are so valuable.

However, if you're handling this type of waste without training, you could be setting your business up for disaster. So, what are the RCRA training requirements? And how do you find the best training program for your employees?

In this guide, we'll answer all of these questions so you can protect both your business and your employees.

What Is RCRA Training?

In 1976, the federal government passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This piece of legislation allowed the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the flow of hazardous material from cradle to grave.

In other words, they may pass regulations and guidelines that dictate how hazardous materials are generated, treated, stored, transported, and disposed of.

As such, RCRA training lays out the guidelines that most people follow regarding each stage of hazardous waste disposal. This includes things like:

• Best practices for waste shipments
• Record keeping
• Emergency procedures
• Reporting

It's important to note that the RCRA also defines how to handle non-hazardous waste. However, there is particular training related to hazardous solid waste because of the harm it can cause to the environment and public health when improperly handled.

If you want to learn more about the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, you can check out this guide here.

Who Needs RCRA Training?

Anyone who deals with hazardous waste in any way is required to have RCRA training. It doesn't matter if someone is loading and transporting waste containers or just labeling and recordkeeping, they still require training.

However, it's important to note that the specific amount of training will relate to the job.

So, someone who manages an entire hazardous waste disposal operation is going to need a lot more training than someone who is just maintaining inventory logs. However, both of these people will need some degree of training for their roles.

What Happens If You Don't Provide RCRA Training?

No one loves investing in training for their employees. It can be expensive, time-consuming, and hard to remember. However, if your business is dealing with hazardous waste, it's essential.

For starters, you owe this type of stewardship to the public and the environment when you make and dispose of this type of waste. But more important for many bottom lines is the steep fines that come when an untrained employee handles hazardous waste.

Currently, the amount is roughly $37,500 per day for each employee who violates it. That means that if you have multiple untrained employees handling this waste, it has the potential to bankrupt your business.

Not only that, but a cited violation can tarnish your reputation as a company. No one wants to work with a business that can't be safe with these types of waste management materials. As such, you should always prioritize RCRA training.

RCRA Training Requirements

You can find the training requirements for the RCRA in Section 40 CFR 265.17. It states that any facility personnel that deals with hazardous waste must take and pass a training program.

This training program can be online, in the classroom, or on the job. The RCRA instructor doing the teaching must have been trained properly. One important note is that training only needs to cover the specific job duties of the individual.

So, if someone isn't transporting hazardous waste, they don't require training that pertains to it. All RCRA training is required to include onsite emergency response info that's related to an area's specific facilities.

As long as they're supervised, new employees can work around hazardous waste materials. However, there's only a six-month pre-training window.

Once that time expires, they need to receive RCRA training. It's important to keep training records for all employees onsite. These records need to include the following:

• Name
• Job title
• Specific hazardous waste duties
• Requisite skills
• Education
• Other relevant qualifications

It's also important to note that there can be state-specific requirements that aren't related to the federal requirement. These requirements can sometimes be more strict, so it's important to look into them.

For example, in New Hampshire, a trained and certified Hazardous Waste Coordinator is required to be onsite at all times.

How Often Do You Need to Take an RCRA Refresher Course?

Sadly, RCRA training is not a one-and-done kind of situation. According to the EPA, anyone who handles hazardous waste is required to take an RCRA refresher course once per year.

The good news is that this training only takes half the amount of time as the initial RCRA course. However, it's important to schedule it for your employees to avoid more fines.

How to Find the Best Training Program

You want an RCRA generator training program that's as convenient as possible. That way, your employees can get the training over quickly and minimize downtime.

In our opinion, training doesn't get more convenient than our online RCRA hazardous waste training course. For starters, your employees can take this course from remote locations.

It's also quick, you can knock out the course in roughly sixteen hours. Best of all, the more people who take it, the more money you can save. If you want to learn more about our RCRA training course, you can learn about it here.

Need Online RCRA Training Certifications? Sign Up At Compliance Training Online

We hope this guide helped you learn more about the RCRA training requirements. Here at Compliance Training Online, we know what a pain it can be to keep up with different federal and state regulations.

That's why we make it as easy as possible to provide all your employees with the proper training they need to do their jobs safely.

Maybe that's why we're the highest-rated online training company around. If you have any questions about the courses we can offer you, make sure to contact us today to learn more.