NEW BEDFORD – Fourteen students from Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School have completed a national certification course in hazardous waste operations.

The students, all majoring in Environmental Science and Technology at GNB Voc-Tech, completed the OSHA 40-hour certification training at Bristol Community College in early January. The Hazardous Waste Operation (HAZWOPER) course is required for personnel involved in hazardous waste operations.

“This is great for the students and great for the program,” said Christopher Pires, an Environmental Science and Technology teacher at GNB Voc-Tech.

For completing the course, students received three college credits from BCC.

The participants included eight sophomores and six seniors.

Sophomores included Nathan Arruda, Evan Babcock, Christopher Costa, Ariel Fumo, Ruby Martin, Cortney Pavao, Kynsey Rogers, and Kayla Santos. Seniors included Heather DeGrace, Mason Dischler, Timothy Mulvey, Breanne Pereira, Lindsey Rocha, and Tyler Rose.

Mason Dischler and Lindsey Rocha live in Dartmouth. Tyler Rose lives in Fairhaven. The other eleven students live in New Bedford.

The training covered 47 environmental science and technology career competencies in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

Training topics included hazardous waste regulations, chemical, physical, and biological hazards, toxicology, medical surveillance and first aid requirements, selection, use and care of personal protective equipment, proper handling of waste stored in drums, and confined space entry. At the completion of the course, students had to take part in a mock field exercise.

The HAZWOPER training was funded through a federal grant.

Environmental Science and Technology is one of more than two dozen career majors at GNB Voc-Tech. The program provides students with the skills needed to pursue a career in a diverse range of technical areas including GIS mapping, environmental sciences, natural resources and engineering.

Students conduct a variety of field experiments in a diverse range of local ecosystems.

The department has established partnerships with higher education institutions in order to provide our students with college credits and associations needed to make a successful transition to college.