SWS Environmental Services Opens New EH&S Training Center in Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth, Texas (PRWEB) October 21, 2014 -- SWS Environmental Services (SWSES) is proud to announce the recent completion and opening of its Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Training Center located in Fort Worth, Texas. This 4,000 square foot training facility, combined with an already existing classroom, has enhanced the trainers’ capability to provide hands-on, interactive training for employees, clients and the public sector emergency response community. A driving force for the continual development of training is the substantial role it plays in SWSES’ Environmental Health and Safety Management program.
Responding to and handling hazardous material is a high risk task or set of tasks that require extreme caution and strict work procedures. Accidental spills or releases of hazardous material require mobilization and response by highly trained, on-call personnel. The new facility is designed to ensure all designated personnel who are expected to serve as hazardous material responders have the required knowledge and understand the practical application needed for this type of work.
The training programs conducted aren’t exclusively for SWSES employees. Clients and first responders can also enroll in a variety of training courses through a typical proposal process that enables them to determine what courses they need, when they are needed and how many will attend. As a value added service, there is also built in flexibility in the programs which allows SWSES to travel and perform the services at their facility if the training center does not happen to fit their specific requirements.
“For our employees, all of our training materials, such as chemical protective clothing, air monitors, and fall protection equipment, are the exact same items they will be using in the field - so they will have firsthand experience with it once they start working full-time at their respective service centers,” explained Tom Stare, Director of Training Services. He adds, “We believe the training center also illustrates to our clients that we have dedication and commitment to quality training.”
Working with hazardous materials without the proper training can lead to range of problems such as improper labeling of hazardous waste; inability to assess different types of incidents; and incorrect selection of personal protective equipment (PPE) or respiratory equipment.
Demonstrations and exercises focus toward the proper selection of environmental monitoring equipment, respiratory protection, chemical protective clothing and decontamination station equipment. Furthermore the training center comes equipped to ensure confined space entry and practical rescue training can be accomplished with exercise spaces that are specifically designed to train and drill course participants.
SWSES focuses its health and safety training in the following areas:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):
- Hazardous Waste Site Operations and Emergency Response
- OSHA 10 and 30-hour General Industry Training
- Respiratory Protection Training
- Lockout/Tagout
- Fall Protection
- Confined Space Entry and Rescue
Whether it be the removal of a small amount of toxic or hazardous materials, a large train derailment causing spillage of oil or chemicals, or a historic event like the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, SWSES’ advanced training in their new facility is key in ensuring all actions taken are done so with the highest level of training and safety possible. Stare also mentioned, “The long term goal for the EH&S training center is to keep building an all-encompassing training center for everything from basic classes to advanced and specialized courses.”
About SWSES:
SWSES is one of the largest, most diverse, and strategically positioned environmental services companies in the United States. Currently operating from 29 locations across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas, our service centers are equipped and ready to respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether it's an emergency spill response, industrial services need, hazardous or non-hazardous waste issue, or complex remediation project, contact us at the location nearest you. 24-Hour Emergency Response: 877.742.4215
Jamie Michael, SWS Environmental Services, http://www.swsenvironmental.com, +1 (813) 948-5079, [email protected]
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