National Institute of Environmental Sciences Archives

The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is offering new virtual courses in February and March.

10-hour OSHA General Industry Course — This course is intended to increase workers’ knowledge on hazards they may encounter on a job site and their rights. Training emphasizes hazard identification, avoidance, control, and prevention. (An incentive of $175 is available to participants who take this course.)

February 7 & 14, 2022 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST (five hours per day, must attend both days)

8-hour DOT Hazardous Materials Awareness Course – This course provides the safety awareness, security awareness and in-depth security training required by DOT for hazmat transportation workers. This course also provides OSHA first responder – awareness level training. (An incentive of $175 is available to participants who take this course.)

February 24 & March 3, 2022 – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST (four hours per day, must attend both days)

For more information on either course, contact the Rail Workers Hazmat Training Program by calling 202-624-6963 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST, Monday – Friday). Click here to register. (Note only classes listed as provided by The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program are available to SMART-TD members.)

The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is funded by a federal grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to provide hazmat training to rail workers.

The goal of this training initiative is to provide rail workers with the skills and knowledge necessary to protect themselves, the community, and the environment in a hazardous materials transportation emergency. To achieve this goal, the Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program provides rail workers, through quality hazardous materials training courses, the confidence in their knowledge and problem-solving skills to enable them to make changes for safer work conditions.

Much of the training is provided by peer instructors who are full-time rail workers — members and/or local officers of affiliated rail unions.

The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is pleased to announce the following HazMat/Chemical Emergency Response Training Programs. This training addresses OSHA and DOT required training in addition to procedures, different levels of response and worker protection in a hazardous materials emergency or release, weapons of mass destruction awareness and the incident command system. The training also provides completion of the OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Outreach requirements. The programs are delivered using interactive classroom instruction, small group activities, hands-on drills and a simulated hazmat response in full safety gear.
The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is funded to provide this training by a federal grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). This five-day hazmat training course will provide rail workers the essential knowledge, skills, and response actions in the case of an unintentional release. These tools will allow rail workers to protect themselves, their co-workers and their communities.
The funding provides the following student expenses: air travel, lodging and meals. In addition, an incentive of $175.00 per day is available to all training participants of these programs, except those who are able to secure regular pay through their employer, or are paid union officers.
The dates of the training class are as follows:

November 12-17, 2017
January 7-12, 2018
February 11-16, 2018
March 18-23, 2018

Training will be conducted at the Houston Fire Department’s Val Jahnke Training Facility, 8030 Braniff Street Houston, TX 77061.
Programs begin Sunday evenings* at 5:30 p.m. and conclude Fridays at 1:00 p.m. Students may be asked to travel on Saturdays to meet program start times or where substantial reductions in airfare warrant. When registering, please select dates in order of preference:
Click here for a printable information sheet.
Click here to register for classes.
For phone inquiries please call 202-624-6963, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.