HAZWOPER Training

Community Safety • Environmental Protection • Workforce Readiness

Lifers Leaving a Legacy (Lifers) is offering a HAZWOPER 40-Hour Training to prepare community members for environmental work that involves potential exposure to hazardous conditions. This training equips participants with the awareness, skills, and safety mindset needed to operate responsibly during clean-ups, restoration projects, and environmental response activities.

The course is designed to support Lifers’ mission of protecting people and place—ensuring that community-led environmental work is done safely, professionally, and with care for long-term health.

Program Overview

Training Format

This program is delivered through a hybrid learning experience:

Self-paced online instruction to complete the required coursework
In-person, hands-on training in March 2026, integrated with Lifers Community Clean-Ups

The in-person component focuses on applying safety concepts in real environments, reinforcing best practices through guided field-based learning.

What This Training Prepares You for

Participants will learn how to operate safely in environments where hazards may not always be visible or immediately obvious. The training emphasizes situational awareness, prevention, and preparedness—skills that are essential for environmental and community protection work.

Key areas of focus include:

Understanding how hazardous substances are identified and communicated
Recognizing environmental and workplace conditions that pose safety risks
Knowing how exposure can impact short- and long-term health
Using protective equipment correctly and consistently
Preventing the spread of contamination during and after work
Responding calmly and effectively to unexpected conditions or emergencies

Safety Skills You'll Build

This course provides practical knowledge that supports safer work practices, including:

Interpreting chemical information and hazard warnings
Selecting and using protective gear appropriate to the task
Following protocols that reduce risk during daily activities
Monitoring conditions that could affect personal or team safety
Understanding when work should pause or escalate due to unsafe conditions

These skills are transferable across environmental clean-ups, public works, emergency response support, and related fields.

Who This Training is For

The 40-hour training is intended for individuals who expect to have ongoing or elevated exposure to hazardous materials or environments, including those who:

Participate regularly in environmental clean-ups
Work around contaminated sites or materials
Use protective equipment as part of their role
Lead or coordinate teams engaged in environmental work

Those with limited or infrequent exposure may qualify for alternative training options.

Certification Pathway

Completion of the coursework and in-person training is a major step toward certification. To fully earn the HAZWOPER 40 credential, participants must also complete three days of supervised field experience. Lifers’ Community Clean-Ups are structured to help participants work toward this requirement while contributing to meaningful community impact.

Why Lifers Offers This Training

Lifers believes environmental protection starts with prepared people. Offering this training helps ensure that community members are not only involved in clean-up efforts but are doing so with the knowledge and protection they deserve.

This program supports:

Safer community-led environmental work
Skill-building that translates into employment opportunities
Increased confidence in high-responsibility environments
Stronger, healthier neighborhoods through informed action

This free training is made possible from the generous support of our funding partner