Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)

Under SARA, the Secretary of Labor was directed to issue a final standard to protect the health and safety of employees engaged in hazardous waste operations. In 1989, OSHA issued this rule on Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, which represents the first comprehensive approach to protecting public and private sector employees involved in the dangers of working on hazardous waste sites. Many of the workers affected by this rule are employees of State and local governments. Twenty-five States and Territories have their own job safety and health programs. Their standards are required to be at least as stringent as the Federal regulations.