Description
Online Refresher Course for Hazmat Employees Who Have Completed Initial Training
| Format | 100% online, self-paced |
| Duration | Approximately 4 hours, including the certification quiz |
| Modules | 14 |
| Certification Quiz | 25 questions, 70% passing grade |
| Certificate | Issued immediately upon completion |
| Prerequisite | Initial hazmat employee training (this course is recurrent training only) |
| Regulations Satisfied | 49 CFR 172.704 (hazmat employee training), including recurrent training at least once every three years |
Prerequisite: Initial Training Required
This is a refresher course for students who have already attended the initial hazardous materials ground shipper training. It is intended for recurrent training only and does not replace initial training. Initial training is a prerequisite for this course.
Need the initial training? Contact NATEC International, Inc. at 800-969-3228 or Training@NATECintl.com.
Course Overview
Federal law requires every hazmat employee to be retrained at least once every three years, and the cost of falling behind lands on the employer. This 14-module online course brings your team current in about four hours, including the certification quiz. It refreshes how to classify hazardous materials, select proper shipping names, package, mark, label, and placard shipments, prepare shipping papers and the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest, load safely, report incidents, and recognize security threats. It is built directly from the current Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR Parts 171 to 180) and EPA manifest rules, and it includes the latest regulatory changes. Learners finish with a certification quiz and receive a certificate for the training file.
Who Should Take This Course
Hazmat employees who have completed initial training and are due for recurrent training, including anyone who prepares, packages, marks, labels, loads, or ships hazardous materials by ground:
- Shipping and receiving staff, warehouse personnel, and dock workers who prepare or offer hazmat shipments
- Employees who prepare shipping papers or sign the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest
- Drivers, loaders, and supervisors who handle hazmat or hazardous waste
- EHS coordinators and compliance managers responsible for hazmat training records
- Hazmat employees approaching the three-year recurrent training deadline
What’s Covered
| # | Module | What Your Team Refreshes |
| 1 | Welcome & Training Requirements | Prerequisite and purpose of recurrent training; 49 CFR 172.704 training components (general awareness, function-specific, safety, security awareness, in-depth security); initial and recurrent training; training records |
| 2 | General Awareness | Structure and applicability of the regulations (Part 172); “Ten Steps” for preparing and offering hazmat; definition of a hazardous material; recognizing hazmat shipments |
| 3 | Classification | Hazard class definitions and criteria; determining severity of hazard (packing groups); the classification process; hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, and elevated-temperature materials |
| 4 | Proper Shipping Names | Using the Hazardous Materials Table; selecting a Proper Shipping Name (PSN); modifying PSNs (n.o.s., technical names, mixtures, “Waste”) |
| 5 | Packaging | General packaging requirements; selecting authorized packaging; packaging specifications and UN markings; special provisions; limited quantities; filling, completing, and closing; empties and reuse; overpacks, lab packs, and salvage drums |
| 6 | Marking & Labeling | General marking and labeling requirements; special markings and handling; marking packages of hazardous waste (40 CFR 262.32) |
| 7 | Shipping Papers & Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest | Preparing shipping descriptions; emergency response information; the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest (EPA Form 8700-22) and e-Manifest; shipping paper retention; interactive manifest activity |
| 8 | Placarding | When to placard hazmat shipments (Table 1, Table 2, and the 1,001 pound rule); who provides and affixes placards; placard display requirements |
| 9 | Loading, Moving & Unloading | General safety requirements; segregation and separation; pre-offering checks |
| 10 | Hazmat Incidents | Incident reporting requirements; immediate and written reports; using the Emergency Response Guidebook |
| 11 | Administration | “Materials of Trade” exception; exceptions; special permits; registration and fees |
| 12 | Keeping Up With Changes & Penalties | Recent final rules; pending rules; training “hazmat employees”; civil and criminal penalties |
| 13 | Cargo Security Awareness | Recognizing and responding to security threats; security awareness training; security plans |
| 14 | Resources, Review & Certification Quiz | Help, support, and follow-up resources; course review; 25-question certification quiz |
Agenda Coverage
The course follows the standard recurrent hazmat ground shipper agenda. Every topic below is covered in the module shown:
| Agenda Topic | Where Covered |
| General Awareness | Modules 1 and 2 |
| Classification | Module 3 |
| Proper Shipping Names | Module 4 |
| Packaging | Module 5 |
| Marking and Labeling | Module 6 |
| Shipping Papers | Module 7 |
| Placarding | Module 8 |
| Loading, Moving, and Unloading | Module 9 |
| Hazmat Incidents | Module 10 |
| Administration | Module 11 |
| Keeping Up With Changes | Module 12 |
| Cargo Security Awareness | Module 13 |
| Help, Support, and Follow-up Resources; Review; Certification Quiz | Module 14 |
Why Employers Choose This Course
- Required, not optional. Hazmat employees must be retrained at least once every three years, and employers must keep training records.
- Fast and flexible. A self-paced online format your team can finish in about four hours, with no multi-day workshop to schedule.
- Practice, not just slides. Worked examples, a shipping description exercise, and an interactive manifest activity that reports a score to your LMS.
- Current rules. Reflects recent changes, including the HM-215Q harmonization rule and EPA’s e-Manifest Third Rule, and flags pending proposals to watch.
- Instant proof of compliance. A certificate is issued as soon as the learner passes the certification quiz, ready for the training file.
Regulatory Basis
This course supports hazmat employee training requirements under:
| Requirement | Citation |
| Recurrent training | 49 CFR 172.704(c)(2): at least once every three years |
| Training components | 49 CFR 172.704(a): general awareness/familiarization, function-specific, safety, and security awareness |
| Training records | 49 CFR 172.704(d) |
| Hazardous waste shipments | 40 CFR Part 262 Subparts B and C (manifest, packaging, marking, labeling) |
This course covers the general awareness, function-specific, safety, and security awareness components of 49 CFR 172.704 for ground shipping. It does not replace initial training, and it does not replace the employer’s obligation to provide training specific to your own facility and functions, including measures to protect employees in your workplace and in-depth security training (49 CFR 172.704(a)(5)) on your company’s security plan, if one is required. It does not cover transportation by air or vessel. Regulations change often, so check www.epa.gov/e-manifest for the latest EPA manifest requirements.

