Since 1987, the Hazardous Materials Training Program through the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, has trained well over twenty-five thousand persons in one or more of the curricula aimed at employer compliance of the relevant federal Occupational Safety and Health Act’s standards. Students in these programs have included workers, union representatives, management personnel, consultants, health and safety professionals, emergency responders, and government agency officials. The training delivered to those whose work with or around hazardous materials has contributed greatly to workplace safety, and has helped augment environmental clean-up efforts in various locations throughout the state.

Richard Herman

Interim Chancellor, University of Illinois

I have found the training to be both informative and challenging. It provided me with the skills I need for my duties in running the hazmat response team here at APL Engineered Materials. The instructors were able to bring their hands on experience into play to show us how the academic parts of the courses related to what we might encounter and show why it was important to have the background knowledge. They also showed us many resources that are available and how to utilize them effectively. The hands on experience gained in the scenarios was extremely useful. Having a high quality program like this right in our back yard has proven a real benefit.

Dennis Miller

EH&S Manager

Our facility has been receiving hazmat training from the University of Illinois for some time now. Over the course of the past several years, issues have been identified that needed improvement. For example, the quality of our response equipment, annual testing of Level A suits, and general familiarity with emergency response. What our emergency response team values the most is the ability of the trainers to customize the training in relation to our facility and the responses we could encounter in the future rather than receiving a boilerplate training that is vague.

Jacob Neuenschwander

EHS Specialist, Lonza, Inc.

The initial 40-hour HAZWOPER and annual refresher training has been extremely helpful in planning the many types of work we do at various job sites throughout Illinois, the Midwest, and abroad. The planning exercises as part of the HAZWOPER refreshers will be employed in our work.

Christopher Stohr

Engineering Geologist
Hydrogeology and Geophysics Section
Illinois State Geological Survey

Carus Corporation has relied on the U of I to provide 40-hour HAZWOPER and 8-hour Refresher classes to our employees. The U of I and Midwest Consortium provide excellent training to our employees, assisting them with their professional careers and personal lives as well. Their training courses ensure we meet all of the mandated requirements, but also go a step further to tailor the courses to our organization. We appreciate the professionalism, dedication and excitement that the University of Illinois Hazmat Training Program bring to each training session.

Kelly Frasco

Global Market Manager, Carus Remediation Technologies

The Illinois EPA has relied heavily on the University of Illinois’s Hazardous Materials Training Program for 40-hour HAZWOPER and 8-hour Refresher training for over 20 years. The professionalism and dedication of the program staff throughout that time has been exemplary throughout the whole organization. Their staff are constantly working to make the training better by listening to feedback, and tailoring the training based on specific needs. The Illinois EPA is always hiring new staff and it is imperative that the inspectors receive top-notch HAZWOPER training. This need for the best possible training is why I look forward to continuing our relationship with the U of I Hazardous Materials Training Program and the Midwest Consortium.

Blaine Kinsley

Manager, Office of Emergency Response

For the past 20 years, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency/Division of Nuclear Safety (IEMA) has contracted with the University of Illinois to provide OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER and 8-hour Hazmat Refresher training. The term of our relationship with the U of I speaks volumes to the quality of the curriculum and those providing the training. IEMA’s response to hazardous materials is unique in that we predominately work with radioactive materials and/or respond to incidents involving radioactive materials. Because of the U of I’s willingness to customize the training to our unique needs, IEMA staff members have been able to create a “safety first” work environment.

Kelly Horn

Head of Environmental Management
Division of Nuclear Safety
Illinois Emergency Management Agency

CF Industries began their partnership with the U of I in 2017 as part of an initiative dedicated to improving the competency of our emergency responders. Having access to professional hazardous materials emergency response professionals through the Midwest Consortium enabled efficient and effective initial curriculum and instructional development. The outcome of this effort is the successful rollout of 40 and 64 hour courses taught by qualified and capable U of I instructors. Access to this consortium and their ability to bring high quality training and instructors to our facilities is another benefit. Working on our equipment at the direction of veteran instructors with industrial and public sector hazardous material emergency response experience brought provided much needed creditability and reality. It is difficult to find a group with the specific skills, knowledge, and instructional abilities as the U of I. That combination of attributes drove the buy-in and students desire to participate.

Terry M. DeGuentz

Corporate Manager, Emergency Services

Our Tuscola facility has utilized the HAZWOPER training provided by your organization for years and appreciate your ability to customize to our site needs, while ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. Specifically, we have received training in Emergency Response for our HAZWOPER awareness, operations, and technician team assignments. We have also coordinated with your organization for tabletop drills and utilized instructor expertise to enhance our site practices. Participants in the training appreciate the knowledge the instructors from your organization bring, as well as the familiarity with our site and site practices. Your instructors bring a level of passion and real-world experience from their public service experience that our industrial organization benefits from.

Tim Hauser

EH&S Manager

Bodine Environmental Services has utilized the University of Illinois – Hazardous Materials Training Program for several decades to provide our annual 8-hour Hazmat Refresher for our employees at all five of our locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Our new employees also receive their initial 40-hour Hazmat Technician and Confined Space training from the University of Illinois. The instructors are interesting, talented presenters with decades of experience and are up to date on the most current topics and equipment. The personnel with the Hazardous Materials Training Program have always been easy to work with and have been flexible in meeting our schedule demands. Their quality training is imperative to the continued success of our business.

Greg Drabing

Safety Manager