American roads and railways act as the circulatory system of society. Through them millions of commodities and raw materials are delivered everyday. Many of these products contain hazardous ingredients. These require special documentation, packaging and labeling. They have to abide by special regulations and those who work with them are called a HAZMAT employee because they have special training and certification.

As a HAZMAT employee there are three main types of training. This includes IMDG (international ocean shipments), IATA (international air shipments) and 49 CFR (domestic U.S. shipments). Every HAZMAT employee needs to be trained in all of these different types of transport today because you never know what may happen.

One of the first things that a HAZMAT employee learns is what materials are actually considered hazardous. Since rescue professionals are the first responders on a scene they are responsible for detecting such substances. Therefore, a Hazmat employee must know when they are dealing with something that requires specialists. A HAZMAT employee should also know how to spray protective foam over small situations in order to keep them small.

As a HAZMAT employee you must receive training within 90 days of being hired. This will usually require three or four days of training for each type of transport. Afterwards, a HAZMAT employee must receive further training in 49 CFR and IMDG every three years and IATA training every two years. Fortunately, it takes less time for a HAZMAT employee to be re-certified than it does for the initial certification. In fact, the re-certification of a HAZMAT employee can usually be done in a day or two. However, every HAZMAT employee must pass a written exam at the end of their training in order to be certified.

The world is moving really fast today. Since a HAZMAT employee must keep up with it training is vital. This is especially true considering the risk of terrorism that we now face as a nation.