Taking Hazmat Module 1 For Safety And Profit

One of the biggest problems with running a transportation company is the safety record. A low number of accidents is not just a matter of bragging rights; the fewer accidents a company has the better its insurance rates are as well, and that can help the company’s bottom line. Fewer accidents are good for the environment as well, especially considering the various hazardous chemicals and fuels that some trucks carry. In order to facilitate this, the Department of Transportation requires drivers to take and passes some classes on the handling of hazardous materials.

The classes are listed as “hazardous materials modules” or just “hazmat modules”. While there are three of the modules, Hazmat Module 1 is the most basic and the most the majority of workers will take: It describes the basics of how to read the information presented, as well as how to communicate that information (the other two modules are transporting hazardous materials and radioactive materials). The course also covers the identification and classification of hazardous materials, as well as the proper shipping names of most materials. The course attempts to educate the worker how to best deal with hazardous materials and make sure that the worker knows exactly what he is dealing with.

While this makes Hazmat Module 1 great for any worker, especially those in the shipping industry, it is mandatory for drivers in order to better understand the risks of the materials that they are transporting and how to communicate those risks. By creating this basic knowledge not only does it make learning the other modules easier, but it also helps to ensure that the driver will take all measures possible in order to make sure that the cargo arrives safely at its destinations. As different materials require different measures and the driver needs to communicate those measures, taking this class can make things easier.

While it is just basic information, taking Hazmat Module 1 can help decrease the number of accidents due to miscommunication. It can also help to ensure that the right information is passed along the chain which also helps eliminate accidents; if people are are aware of what they are handling and how to handle it, that knowledge helps deal with material in question and cuts down on accidents involving that material. By decreasing the number of accidents involving hazardous materials, especially clean-ups, it helps in turn to lower insurance rates for the company as those rates are based in part on the number of accidents that a company reports.

Hazmat Module 1 gives a few perks for any company that makes sure that its workers takes the class. As noted it is mandatory for drivers, but a good company should require it for all workers, especially those working the docks putting pallets together. It can also help the quartermaster ensuring that he has all of the correct packing containers and materials on hand for those that do the packing. In short, making workers take Hazmat Module 1 not only helps the bottom line of the company but also helps to get everyone on the same page, and that is always a good thing.