§ 172.704 - Training requirements.

§ 172.704 Training requirements.

(a) Hazmat employee training must include the following:

(1) General awareness/familiarization training. Each hazmat employee shall be provided general awareness/familiarization training designed to provide familiarity with the requirements of this subchapter, and to enable the employee to recognize and identify hazardous materials consistent with the hazard communication standards of this subchapter.

(2) Function-specific training.

(i) Each hazmat employee must be provided function-specific training concerning requirements of this subchapter, or exemptions or special permits issued under subchapter A of this chapter, that are specifically applicable to the functions the employee performs.

(ii) As an alternative to function-specific training on the requirements of this subchapter, training relating to the requirements of the ICAO Technical Instructions and the IMDG Code may be provided to the extent such training addresses functions authorized by subpart C of part 171 of this subchapter.

(3) Safety training. Each hazmat employee shall receive safety training concerning -

(i) Emergency response information required by subpart G of part 172;

(ii) Measures to protect the employee from the hazards associated with hazardous materials to which they may be exposed in the work place, including specific measures the hazmat employer has implemented to protect employees from exposure; and

(iii) Methods and procedures for avoiding accidents, such as the proper procedures for handling packages containing hazardous materials.

(4) Security awareness training. Each hazmat employee must receive training that provides an awareness of security risks associated with hazardous materials transportation and methods designed to enhance transportation security. This training must also include a component covering how to recognize and respond to possible security threats. New hazmat employees must receive the security awareness training required by this paragraph within 90 days after employment.

(5) In-depth security training. Each hazmat employee of a person required to have a security plan in accordance with subpart I of this part who handles hazardous materials covered by the plan, performs a regulated function related to the hazardous materials covered by the plan, or is responsible for implementing the plan must be trained concerning the security plan and its implementation. Security training must include company security objectives, organizational security structure, specific security procedures, specific security duties and responsibilities for each employee, and specific actions to be taken by each employee in the event of a security breach.

(b) OSHA, EPA, and other training. Training conducted by employers to comply with the hazard communication programs required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor (29 CFR 1910.120 or 1910.1200) or the Environmental Protection Agency (40 CFR 311.1), or training conducted by employers to comply with security training programs required by other Federal or international agencies, may be used to satisfy the training requirements in paragraph (a) of this section to the extent that such training addresses the training components specified in paragraph (a) of this section.

(c) Initial and recurrent training -

(1) Initial training. A new hazmat employee, or a hazmat employee who changes job functions may perform those functions prior to the completion of training provided -

(i) The employee performs those functions under the direct supervision of a properly trained and knowledgeable hazmat employee; and

(ii) The training is completed within 90 days after employment or a change in job function.

(2) Recurrent training. A hazmat employee must receive the training required by this subpart at least once every three years. For in-depth security training required under paragraph (a)(5) of this section, a hazmat employee must be trained at least once every three years or, if the security plan for which training is required is revised during the three-year recurrent training cycle, within 90 days of implementation of the revised plan.

(3) Relevant Training. Relevant training received from a previous employer or other source may be used to satisfy the requirements of this subpart provided a current record of training is obtained from hazmat employees' previous employer.

(4) Compliance. Each hazmat employer is responsible for compliance with the requirements of this subchapter regardless of whether the training required by this subpart has been completed.

(d) Recordkeeping. Each hazmat employer must create and retain a record of current training of each hazmat employee, inclusive of the preceding three years, in accordance with this section for as long as that employee is employed by that employer as a hazmat employee and for 90 days thereafter. A hazmat employer must make a hazmat employee's record of current training available upon request, at a reasonable time and location, to an authorized official of the Department of Transportation or of an entity explicitly granted authority to enforce the HMR. The record must include:

(1) The hazmat employee's name;

(2) The most recent training completion date of the hazmat employee's training;

(3) A description, copy, or the location of the training materials used to meet the requirements in paragraph (a) of this section;

(4) The name and address of the person providing the training; and

(5) Certification that the hazmat employee has been trained and tested, as required by this subpart.

(e) Limitations. The following limitations apply:

(1) A hazmat employee who repairs, modifies, reconditions, or tests packagings, as qualified for use in the transportation of hazardous materials, and who does not perform any other function subject to the requirements of this subchapter, is not subject to the training requirement of paragraph (a)(3) of this section.

(2) A railroad maintenance-of-way employee or railroad signalman, who does not perform any function subject to the requirements of this subchapter, is not subject to the training requirements of paragraphs (a)(2), (a)(4), or (a)(5) of this section.

[Amdt. 172-126, 57 FR 20952, May 15, 1992, as amended by Amdt. 172-126, 58 FR 5851, Jan. 22, 1993; Amdt. 172-145, 60 FR 49110, Sept. 21, 1995; Amdt. 172-149, 61 FR 27173, May 30, 1996; 65 FR 50460, Aug. 18, 2000; 68 FR 14521, Mar. 25, 2003; 70 FR 73164, Dec. 9, 2005; 73 FR 4716, Jan. 28, 2008; 73 FR 57005, Oct. 1, 2008; 75 FR 10988, Mar. 9, 2010; 76 FR 56314, Sept. 13, 2011; 78 FR 15326, Mar. 11, 2013; 80 FR 72923, Nov. 23, 2015]