The Midwest Consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training
The Midwest Consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training has been funded since 1987 by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to develop, present and evaluate model worker training programs to help employers comply with 29 CFR 1910.120. We offer in-person hazmat and hazwoper training, custom trainings at our site or yours to meet the needs of groups and companies, and community workshops.
These programs are sponsored in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) as part of the Hazardous Material Worker Health and Safety Training Cooperative Agreement U45ES006184, University of Minnesota Principal Investigator: Dr. William A. Toscano, Jr.
Continuing Education Credits Offered
- American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)
- Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP)
- Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)
- MN Sanitarian Credit – MN Department of Health
Our Staff
William A. Toscano, PhD
Principal InvestigatorDr. William Toscano received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Illinois-Urbana. Previously, he was on the faculty of the Harvard School of Public Health and the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. His teaching interests include environmental microbiology and environmental, occupational, industrial toxicology, toxico-genomics, and molecular approaches to risk assessment. Dr. Toscano is Professor and Division Head of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Lois Harrison, MPH
Continuing Education SpecialistLois has coordinated all aspects of Hazardous Materials Training program since 2002. Prior to this, she served ten years as a senior program representative with the Minnesota Department of Health, Health Promotion and Injury Surveillance program, and three years with the City of San Diego Environmental Health section managing the safety and hearing conservation program. She received her Master’s in Public Health, Occupational Health from San Diego State University, San Diego, CA and volunteered with the Red Cross Disaster Relief program.
Jennifer Selzler
Program AssociateJennifer Selzler has been with the University of Minnesota Hazmat program (NIEHS) since 2009. Her primary duties include course coordination, execution and marketing. Prior to joining our program Jennifer was a recruiter and trainer for the Medical Reserve Corps of Hennepin County a division of the Human Services and Public Health Department. Jennifer currently volunteers with the University of Minnesota Medical Reserve Corps as a participant in emergency preparedness exercises and drills.
Our Instructors
Sixteen instructors currently serve as content experts in the Hazardous Materials Training Program, bringing a wealth of experience in both the private and public sector.  All instructors have many years of adult education and bring real life expertise in industrial hygiene, air monitoring, OSHA compliance, incident command, site remediation, transportation safety, emergency preparedness and response to the courses.  Their background includes Fire Chiefs, Safety Specialists, Industrial Hygienists, Compliance Officers, and Mold Remediation/Facilities Management. They have responded to hazardous materials incidents across the United States.