Transport and handling of hazardous waste and dangerous goods

In accordance with the Federal Law № 89-FZ “On Production and Consumption Waste” (as amended as of August 4, 2023) dated June 24, 1998, activities for the collection, transportation, processing, treatment, neutralization, and disposal of waste of I-IV hazard classes is subject to licensing in accordance with Federal Law № 99-FZ “On licensing of certain types of activities” dated May 4, 2011. Persons, who are authorized to collect, transport, process, treat, neutralize, and dispose waste of I-IV hazard classes, are required to have qualification documents issued based on the results of vocational education or advanced professional education necessary to work with waste of I-IV hazard classes. Vocational education and advanced professional education of persons who are authorized to collect, transport, process, utilize, neutralize, and dispose waste of I-IV hazard classes are carried out in accordance with the legislation on education. Training programs are based on a standard additional education program (advanced training program) in the field of collection, transportation, treatment, neutralization, and disposal of waste of I-IV hazard classes, approved by Order № 755 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, dated October 15, 2021, and has a volume of 38 academic hours.

Both the standard program and the programs developed on its basis and implemented in various institutions of advanced professional education do not include issues related to the classification and features of handling dangerous goods. Therefore, the personnel of operators involved in the collection, processing and transportation of hazardous waste, having general training in waste management, do not understand matters related to the handling of dangerous goods, which causes confusion, misunderstandings and creates the preconditions for bringing operators to administrative responsibility for violation of the rules of transportation of dangerous goods, to which hazardous waste, as defined in Federal Law № 89-FZ, does not belong.

Taking into account the established practice of transporting waste, including hazardous waste, the International Staff Training Center (ISTC) is implementing a training program for advanced training of specialists involved in the circulation of hazardous waste, taking into account the peculiarities of handling both hazardous waste and dangerous goods at all stages of their life cycle. The program volume is 40 academic hours. This expanded training program is aimed at obtaining new competencies for managers, as well as operator’s specialists involved in the collection, processing and transportation of hazardous waste. Acquisition of new competencies allows operators to build their activities more reasonably and generally improve safety in the transportation of production and consumption waste.

Course graduates who successfully pass the exam are submitted for certification by the International Dangerous Goods and Containers Association, after which they receive certificates.