To better understand hazardous waste remediation workers and their training needs, interviews were conducted with personnel (n=115) from 29 sites. Personnel included project managers, prime contractors, subcontractors, safety officers, and on-line workers. All of the prime contractors reported having an emergency response plan, 96% reported having a medical surveillance programme, and 89% reported having a site- specific health and safety plan. Reported inconsistencies in responses from respondents at the same site indicate possible gaps in training and communication. Almost all respondents had received the required 40 hours of off-site training, but 20% reported that hands-on field exercises were not included. Participation in the required 3 days of on-site training was reported by 66%. Lack of experience, the sporadic nature of hazardous waste site cleanup work, and high turnover present special challenges to the implementation of an effective health and safety training programme.

Support: Digital