Navy Occupational Safety & Health (NAVOSH)
Period of Performance
March 1997 through April 2009
Project Description
The Hazardous Substance Incident Response Management (HSIRM)
course is a program that serves as the NavyÕs primary means
of training Navy personnel in the areas of emergency response,
hazardous waste site operations, risk assessment, chemical
safety. This 24 hour HSIRM course provides personnel with
the knowledge and skills necessary to respond safely and
effectively to releases of, or substantial threats of releases
of, hazardous substances, in compliance with applicable Federal,
State, local, and Navy environmental, health and safety regulations
and instructions. This course fulfills the training requirements
established by Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
(HAZWOPER) delineated in 29 CFR 1910.120(q), OPNAVINST 5090.1(series)
and OPNAVINST 510.23(series).
In 2004 Haztrain was awarded the HSIRM contract for the
third time and embarked on revamping the training program
to incorporate emerging training technologies, while retaining
the traditional instruction approaches which have proven
successful for many years. The HSIRM training is very hands-on,
supplementing lectures with problem-solving sessions, case
studies, demonstrations, and outdoor exercises with both
field instruments and safety apparatus.
Under the HSIRM contract, Haztrain presents more than 90
training courses per year to nearly 2,700 students from CONUS
and OCONUS. These courses cover the full range of environmental,
and health and safety topics and include and initial 40-hour
course and 8-hour refresher course. Haztrain's staff of more
than 10 instructors presents these courses for 43 weeks out
of the year at a rate of one to two courses per week. Haztrain
provides two instructors for each of the 40-hour courses
and one instructor for the 8-hour refresher courses.
Unique Challenges
One challenge of the HSIRM is the need to continually assess
and revise the training program to ensure that it addresses
the unique challenges faced by environmental response personnel
in todayÕs physical, political, and social climate. Haztrain
has responded to these challenges by modifying existing courses
to address new concerns and conditions.
Conclusion
Student comments are taken seriously; often resulting in
modifications and fine-tuning of course content to better
meet student needs. Lectures are supplemented and enhanced
by outdoor field exercises with hands-on equipment training,
incident simulations that include local first responders
and other participants, and instruction at simulated hazardous
substance releases.
