The Certification Myth

Last Updated On

Who certifies a hazmat employee?

  • Government?
  • Trade Associations?
  • A training company?
  • Zeus?

This video explains it all.

Every hazmat/dangerous goods employee must be certified by their employer.  So for example, the company you work for is the only legal entity that can certify an employee, we can’t do it, the government can’t do it, a third party can’t do it – only the employer has this authority.

Let’s say you run a nuclear medicine facility, or perhaps an explosives storage depot, or a perfume shop.  All three jobs require hazmat/dangerous goods certifying of the employee involved in making shipments. The government requires the employer to certify the employee because in the end, they’re the only ones who can verify that the employee is properly trained for their job.

You might think that somebody else would certify them such as a government agency – but they simply don’t have the bandwidth to do that; you’d have to determine the different needs of each discreet shipper and the individual needs of the company.  So in the case of your employee who works for you, is paid by you, supervised by you, you’re the only one who can do this (this is why we have you sign the certificate).

Anyway, if you have any questions, give us a call or email us.  You can also check with the US DOT on this at 1-800-467-4922 Ext 1.