If you’ve been through some type of regulatory training, it’s likely you’ve seen one or more of these…
- “The Professor” – A dry, technical presentation; packed with information, but assuming a higher level of regulatory awareness than that of the average EHS professional. Way too much information on obscure regulations that don’t apply to your operations.
- “The Showman” – Energetic, a multi-media, caffeinated presentation that keeps you interested, “What goofy image is going to be on the next slide?” but lacking in substance. No explanation of how the regulations work or how they apply to you.
- “The Mouth Piece” – Presenting someone else’s material. The content is solid, but the presenter, lacking the experience and the knowledge, is only reading the information to you. Your follow-up questions are not answered satisfactorily.
- “The Corporation” – The training providers whose names you would recognize if I had the courage to list them here. Great marketing materials, impressive website, slick operation, but the training; what about the quality of the training? It comes down to who they hire; if that person doesn’t have the experience, knowledge, and skills, the best website in the world won’t make up for your lost time and money.
- “The Freebie” – Sometimes offered by your waste vendor or some other entity not in the business of training. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”, and there’s no such thing as free high quality training.
- “The Trainer You Know (aka: Last Year’s Trainer)” – You return to the same training year after year, as if they are the only training provider out there. I recommend to anyone to vary their training providers, especially for annual training such as US EPA’s Hazardous Waste Personnel. Even if the training isn’t as good, you at least gain a different perspective on the regulations. Note to those who have attended my training, disregard #6.
- “The Bargain” – Cousin to “The Freebie”, this training is a few dollars cheaper, or doesn’t require an overnight stay, or doesn’t require air travel, so it seems like a deal. In the end your company saves a few hundred bucks per year on training, but consider: how much does one fine cost?
When deciding on what training to attend, you should choose the training that best fills your needs, determine if the training…
- Meets your regulatory requirements.
- Represents “real world” information.
- Provides you with tools and guidance information beyond the training content.
- Entertains and engages you.
- Answers your questions.
There are many good training providers out there, I think I am one of them. Please contact me for a free consultation on your training needs if you generate a hazardous waste and/or ship or receive hazardous materials.