Organizations dealing with hazardous waste are trying to balance OSHA requirements for HAZWOPER certification with reduced revenues and shrinking budgets. Many are turning to online HAZWOPER courses as the solution to this dilemma. Lower course fees, reduced travel expenses and less lost production add up to major savings.

Online Courses Cost Less

Typically online HAZWOPER certification programs cost less than traditional face-to-face training. The training provider's costs are lower since they don't have to print written materials, rent a venue to give the course or invest in expensive presentation equipment. Administration and delivery of online material incurs fewer expenses and these savings are passed on to the clients.

To be fair some of the savings of online courses is offset by the need for the clients to provide some hands-on training with personal protective equipment to meet OSHA standards. However the cost of a brief PPE session with employees who have completed online HAZWOPER certification will be far less than the savings realized by adopting an online training program.

No Traveling Required

The cost of attending remote training in person involves more than just the price of the courses themselves. The expenses associated with airline tickets, hotel stays, rental cars, per diems and other factors inflate the training budget well beyond course fees. When workers get their HAZWOPER certification online there is no need to travel. They take the courses on any computer at work or at home without incurring additional expenses.

The absence of travel does more than save money; it makes employees happier. Since workers don't have to be away from their homes for a week or longer attending a class on the other side of the country, they find it easier to balance professional and personal commitments.

Improved Productivity

A less tangible but still important economic benefit of online training comes from the increased productivity it creates. Employees take individual course modules at their convenience. If important issues arise, workers can deal with them before returning to the course. This makes it easier to balance training need with day to day work.

A typical 40 hour HAZWOPER involves far more than 40 hours of lost productivity. Time lost to travel and other incidentals increases this by a large factor. In an online course, employees spend just as much time as is needed to complete the requirements and no more. Training time is spent efficiently and employees get back to work as soon as the course is over.

Since workers set their own pace they can stop the course when they become tired rather than having to push on until the instructor calls for a break. They learn when they are most alert and absorb the information more efficiently. This means less review and faster completion of the full course.

Online HAZWOPER certification is growing in popularity as organizations realize the financial benefits it brings. Soon it may be the rule rather than the exception in HAZWOPER education.