HAZWOPER: Medical Surveillance
Course Description:
Today, we’re going to talk about the medical surveillance program required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s, or OSHA’s, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard, known as HAZWOPER. The HAZWOPER standard provides guidelines for workers to safely handle hazardous materials in situations such as cleaning up or removing hazardous substances from a site or an emergency response to a hazardous substance release.
When OSHA developed this regulation, it realized that handling hazardous waste is a difficult job that may expose you to many hazards, among them toxic chemicals, safety hazards, biological hazards, and radiation. OSHA’s HAZWOPER medical surveillance program is essential to assess and monitor your health and fitness both before employment and during the course of work, and to provide you and your coworkers with emergency and other medical treatment as needed. You can find the HAZWOPER requirements for its medical surveillance program in the Code of Federal Regulations, CFR, at 29 CFR 1910.120(f).
Why “HAZWOPER: Medical Surveillance” Matters:
At the completion of this course, the participant will be able to:
- Appreciate that working with hazardous waste involves health risks
- Realize the purpose of the HAZWOPER medical surveillance program
- Identify the medical surveillance procedures and a worker’s role in the program
- Recognize common symptoms of exposure to hazardous substances
- Participate effectively in the medical surveillance program
Key Points:
- Working with hazardous wastes increases your risk of harmful exposures.
- HAZWOPER’s medical surveillance program is designed to ensure early diagnoses and treatment of work-related health problems.
- Report any symptoms of exposure to your supervisor right away.
- Cooperate with your employer and healthcare professionals regarding medical exams, screening, and testing.
