A free workshop on hazardous materials will be offered next week at Barton Community College. The workshop will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30, in the Seminar Room, F-30 of the Fine Arts Building.
The Kansas Motor Carriers Association and the Pipeline/Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation are offering the training in Wichita and Topeka as well.  The training is required to haul HazMat, said Becky Crawford, director of safety at the KMCA.
This is the first time the program has been offered in Great Bend. “There are a lot of trucking companies out west and we are trying to get them to this training,” Crawford said.  “Some places can charge hundreds of dollars for this training, but between Kansas Motor Carriers and the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety administration it is free. Currently there are over 100 people registered for the training between all three workshops.”
Representatives from the DOT will explain regulations on transporting and handling hazardous materials, as well as labeling and packaging. A portion of the program will deal with anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks.
Some of the regulations covered have been around for five or six years, Crawford said, but compliance by Jan. 1, 2013, is mandated. “So for some companies, it is new, but to most they have been complying for years,” she said. “People who attend this workshop are going to learn how to properly mark and label the proper package, and then ultimately placard the load."
DOT representative Stuart Streck said new federal regulations are being implemented this year, and it’s important that all employers keep their employees up to code to avoid costly fines.
This free workshop is open to any business that handles HazMat packaging throughout the year. This would include but not be limited to auto body shops, pool supply companies, hospitals, welding shops, oil well service companies, beverage companies, farming co-ops, propane companies, paint supply stores and department stores, said Streck.
 For additional information contact Streck at stuart.streck@dot.gov