The Transportation Uniform Safety Act became law in 1990, better known as Hazardous Material Regulation 181 (HM-181), and mandates the following:

• Any employee who works in any shipping area must have Hazardous Material training
• Employees who may be involved in preparing or transporting hazardous materials are required to be trained
• Managers and supervisors who act as the 'shipper' and sign documents are required to be trained
• Forklift operators or heavy equipment operators who load or unload hazardous material must be trained
• Delivery drivers who operate on State highways and public roads must be trained

It is the employer's responsibility to fully comply with the training requirements. Failure to train employees may result in civil and criminal penalties of up to $50,000 per violation..

HM-181 is employee training that must be comprehensive and adequate for it to be compliant. Employers must ensure that each hazardous material employee (any person who in the course of employment directly affects hazardous materials transportation safety) is trained and tested about hazardous material safety.

The training should include general awareness which is providing familiarization with the requirements of the regulations, as well as recognizing and identifying hazardous materials.

Function specific training on matters specifically applicable to the functions the employee performs in the work environment. Safety training should include emergency response information, accident avoidance, and safe handling of hazardous materials.

Employee comprehension is proof of employee understanding and adequate training. It's not enough for employers to just provide HM-181 to all needed employees; rather, the employers must prove that the HM-181 training provided is adequate and abates the given hazardous material hazards affecting their employees. This is accomplished through examinations and customizing the hazardous material training to the specific employee and employer's situations.