6 Things to Know if Your Employees Handle Hazardous Materials

A Business Owner’s Guide to Hazardous Materials

If your business involves hazardous materials, there are obviously legal responsibilities and liability exposures you can’t ignore. Whether hazardous materials are central to your operations or just incidental to your business, understanding your obligations protects both your employees and your company from catastrophic consequences. 

Not sure where to start? Here’s what you need to know about managing hazardous materials in the workplace.

1. You’re Subject to Multiple Overlapping Regulations

Hazardous materials are regulated by numerous federal, state, and local agencies, each with their own requirements that you must satisfy simultaneously. 

• OSHA governs workplace safety related to hazardous materials. 

• The EPA regulates environmental aspects of hazardous substance use, storage, and disposal. 

• The DOT controls the transportation of hazardous materials. 

• State environmental agencies often impose requirements exceeding federal standards. 

• Local fire marshals regulate storage and handling within their jurisdictions.

These overlapping regulations create complexity where complying with one agency’s requirements doesn’t automatically satisfy others. That’s why you need comprehensive programs addressing all applicable regulations rather than assuming OSHA compliance covers everything.

2. Training is Legally Required

You can’t simply hand employees hazardous materials and expect them to figure out safe handling. Federal and state regulations mandate specific training before employees work with hazardous substances and require regular refresher training to maintain competency.

OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard requires training on understanding Safety Data Sheets, recognizing hazardous chemical labels, and knowing protective measures for chemicals in your workplace. This training must occur before employees are exposed to hazardous chemicals and whenever new hazards are introduced.

For operations involving potential exposure to hazardous substances during emergency response or cleanup operations, HAZWOPER training becomes super important. Having HAZWOPER certification demonstrates that employees have received proper instruction in areas like recognizing hazards, using protective equipment, following decontamination procedures, and responding to emergencies. 

This kind of training is an investment in your business, so document it thoroughly. During inspections or after incidents, regulators will demand proof that employees received required training. Training records showing who was trained, on what topics, when, and by whom are essential compliance documentation.

3. Storage and Handling Mean Significant Liability

How you store and handle hazardous materials directly affects your liability exposure. Improper storage creates fire risks, chemical reactions, spills, and environmental contamination that can destroy your business through penalties and other financial consequences.

Understand compatibility requirements for the materials you use. Some chemicals react violently when stored together, and you’ll need to segregate incompatible materials. (This seems obvious until you find yourself in a real-world scenario where space is an issue.)

Secondary containment systems are also crucial for preventing spills from reaching soil or water. Storage areas need berms, containment pallets, or other systems capturing spills before they spread. The cost of secondary containment is trivial compared to environmental cleanup costs when spills reach groundwater.

4. Personal Protective Equipment Is Non-Negotiable

Appropriate personal protective equipment protects employees from hazardous material exposure, but only when you provide the right equipment and train employees on how to use it properly.

This is one of the reasons it’s so helpful to conduct hazard assessments. What works for one chemical might be completely inadequate for another (and you won’t know until you take the time to evaluate).

As you build out your plan, be sure to enforce PPE requirements consistently. Allowing employees to skip required protection will create liability when they’re injured. It also establishes dangerous norms where safety rules feel optional. Consistent enforcement, on the other hand, communicates that protection is non-negotiable.

5. Emergency Response Planning Isn’t Just for Major Facilities

You might think emergency response plans are only necessary for large industrial operations, but any business handling hazardous materials needs documented emergency procedures. 

Develop written emergency response procedures covering spill containment, employee evacuation, emergency contacts, and coordination with first responders. Make these procedures accessible to employees and ensure they know where to find them during actual emergencies when stress impairs memory.

You’ll also need to coordinate with local emergency responders before incidents occur. Fire departments and hazmat teams respond more effectively when they’re familiar with your facility and have discussed access and response strategies in advance. 

Disposal Has Its Own Regulations and Rules

You can’t just throw hazardous materials in the dumpster or pour them down drains. Hazardous waste disposal is strictly regulated, and improper disposal creates enormous liability. The consequences can go as far as criminal penalties for business owners.

Make sure you understand what constitutes hazardous waste in your operations. Used chemicals, contaminated materials, empty containers, and cleaning supplies can all be hazardous waste, depending on the circumstances. So get professional guidance rather than guessing.

As a rule of thumb, maintain detailed records of all hazardous waste generation and disposal. These records will prove proper disposal and are required by regulations. During audits, you can show them in order to demonstrate that all hazardous waste was disposed of legally and appropriately.

Embracing the Responsibility

Mismanaging hazardous materials can destroy your business in multiple ways, whether that’s through regulatory fines, environmental cleanup costs, or even criminal charges against you and the other owners. But it doesn’t have to go there. Through proper management, you can set your business up for success and benefit in an industry that others are too intimidated to enter into.