It’s not easy managing a hazardous waste program. Not only do you need to manage employees but you also have to make sure every project is up to standard.
But what would happen if your organization didn’t follow state and federal regulations? Here are five consequences that can happen when you mismanage hazardous waste in any work environment.
- Inefficient organization. Hazardous waste management isn’t designed just for safety reasons. It’s also there to keep your organization organized. When you don’t follow state and federal regulations, you create a nightmare for your business’ Environmental, Health, and Safety department. If you’re not properly handling waste, issues can go unsolved and result in a reactive response process. This causes the responsibilities of EHS employees to double, overwhelming them completely.
- Higher risks to employees. It’s true that organization is important for hazmat management. But one of the most dangerous consequences of hazmat mismanagement is the increased risk to your employees. Mishandling hazardous materials can cause spills, fires, reactions, explosions, and exposure to toxic chemicals. These can all cause major injuries and even death.
- Higher risks for the environment. Fires, explosions, and toxic chemicals not only put your employees at risk but they also put the environment at risk. Hazardous waste mismanagement can result in pollution and contamination that can hurt wildlife and natural habitats.
- Failed inspections. You may have been able to guess that this would be a consequence of hazmat mismanagement. When you mishandle hazardous waste, you’re no longer in compliance with EPA, OSHA, and RCRA laws and regulations. Failed inspections are the result, which leads to fines, operational failures, and shutdowns.
- Fines and expenses. When you don’t comply with laws and regulations mandated by OSHA, the EPA, and the RCRA, your organization can suffer from some serious fines. Other expenses can also increase because of your non-compliance. For instance, insurance premiums will go up.
Interested in getting hazmat training online?
Every year, an estimated 11 billion tons of freight is shipped over 250 billion miles across the United States. And 94% of hazmat shipments are done by those same trucks.
Whether you’re shipping hazardous materials or handling them directly, you need to meet the requirements for handling hazardous waste. The good news is that you can get your hazmat training online.
Hazmat School offers a variety of hazmat training courses so you can meet OSHA hazmat training requirements. To learn more about our hazmat training online courses, contact Hazmat School today.
Manages Hazmat School’s E-Learning courses and blog. Kirstie has extensive experience in the online training and education industry. Kirstie has worked with courses that offer a variety of safety and environmental certifications that satisfy OSHA, EPA and DOT requirements.
