Operating as a volunteer-run, non-profit organization, committed to pollution prevention, product stewardship, and the safe and effective handling of hazardous materials from households and small businesses, NAHMMA supports its members with exclusive training opportunities, relevant industry news, and access to a diverse and experienced multi-national network of people involved in the hazardous waste management industry.
By Kenneth Miller and Kiana Sladicki
Welcome to the NAHMMA Corner! With the Great Resignation in the not-so-distant past or, in some workplaces, still occurring, Professional development for both new hires and more experienced staff has seen increased focus from employers. Employees with access to high quality professional development courses, and networking opportunities, have been shown to have increased job satisfaction, which leads to improved work proficiency and efficiency.
NAHMMA Professional Training Opportunities
NAHMMA offers professional development courses taught by seasoned professionals who bring a wealth of industry expertise and know-how to each training. These courses are designed with Household Hazardous Materials facility operators in mind to avoid generic versions intended as a general overview for hazardous materials industry professionals. For a complete list of NAHMMA courses, many of which can be offered as in-person, virtual only, or a hybrid format, visit www.nahmma.org.
Including trainings as a job requirement is one way many employers provide essential professional development to their employees. However, some employers take the next step and tie both trainings and involvement with industry professional associations and/or groups to their employee career advancement programs to create a clear roadmap for success. Pinellas County, FL, with several NAHMMA members, has done just that.
How NAHMMA Helps Pinellas County Employees鈥� Professional Development
Pinellas County emphasizes employee professional development, exposing them to trainings and resources to help develop their skill sets and advance in their careers. We have roadmaps developed for employees to advance in their current position by developing new skills, known as career paths, and roadmaps developed to advance employees to the next position classification, known as career ladders.
The Pinellas County Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program has four position classifications beginning with Program Assistant, then Technician, Program Coordinator, and Program Supervisor. Career paths for each position are broken into two levels (intermediate and advanced) designed to have employees perform a wider variety of work, preparing them for the next career path level and/or career ladder. They also expose employees to professional networks like NAHMMA through awareness, participation, involvement, and leadership, helping employees and NAHMMA.
To kickstart HHW employee careers, the Program Assistant intermediate level of the career path has them get a NAHMMA membership and obtain the NAHMMA HHW New Technician Certification, creating awareness and participation in NAHMMA. It also exposes them to the HHW Center鈥檚 programs and projects by learning the equipment, completing set numbers of reports, and becoming more familiar with SOP review and development. The next level of the path, the advanced, has employees shadow offsite household chemical collection events and waste shipments, and further exposes them to NAHMMA. They will take the NAHMMA Explosives and Highly Reactive Chemicals training, attend a conference, and prepare a presentation on knowledge gained when they return to the rest of the staff. This allows for more involvement in NAHMMA and the HHW program.
When employees have demonstrated the required skills and knowledge, they can career ladder to the next position class, a Technician. The path levels for this position include taking the NAHMMA HHW/VSQG Collection Operations 24-hour training and getting the SWANA Certification, as well as leading HHW programs like household chemical collection events and the monthly VSQG collection event, and preparing technical presentations on chemical identification and segregations, allowing for leadership roles in the HHW program and NAHMMA. This also sets up employees鈥� skill sets for a future position as a Program Coordinator or Supervisor.
All in all, it is a win-win situation for Pinellas County and NAHMMA. County employees can further their professional development through NAHMMA networking opportunities and job-specific trainings we cannot get anywhere else and NAHMMA benefits with more engaged members.
Images courtesy of Pinellas County.
NAHMMA Professional Networking Opportunities
Networking is one of the core values of NAHMMA as an organization. In a post pandemic world, connections methods have expanded. However, the pandemic also highlighted the value of in-person networking. At NAHMMA we offer several networking opportunities for household hazardous materials professionals:
鈥� Annual association conference (in-person): This event provides attendees the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across North America, engage in training, attend presentations, meet with vendors, and have a little fun (HHW Olympics). Attendance at the annual conference provides connections to transform how a facility performs public outreach and engagement, material in-take, and reduced operational costs.
鈥� Regional chapter workshops (in-person, virtual, hybrid): Regional chapters hold workshops throughout the year to offer members a chance to engage on a more 鈥渓ocal鈥� level with other industry professionals. Chapter workshops offer a streamlined set of training, presentations, and vendor engagement opportunities.
鈥� NAHMMA Connect (virtual monthly event): Members can hear updates from the Association Board of Directors, Chapter Leaders, and crowd-source solutions.
鈥� Webinars/NAHMMA Corner: Monthly webinars and the NAHMMA Corner here in 国产麻豆 offer professionals鈥� opportunities to learn more about issues impacting the industry or learn more about NAHMMA.
鈥� Social Media: Via our business page, North American Hazardous Materials Management Association, our members can engage with posted topics, learn about available resources, and connect with other professionals to grow their network. LinkedIn also allows members attending events an easy way to connect before, during, and after the event.
Enhancing Your Development
NAHMMA is well positioned to offer professional development and networking opportunities to you and your employees. Our trainers and our members, which span North America, offer multiple opportunities to Network, Train, and Transform. If you are not currently a member, stop over at www.nahmma.org to learn more about our association and how NAHMMA can assist in enhancing professional development through training and networking. | WA
Kenneth Miller currently serves as on the NAHMMA Board of Directors as Board President. He is the current Solid Waste Agency Administrator at the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA). In addition to his involvement with NAHMMA, Ken is also a member of several other professional organizations, including SWANA, the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operator (Board Member), the Iowa Recycling Association (IRA), and the Iowa Composting Council (Past Board Member). He can be reached at (563) 581-2874, e-mail [email protected] or visit .
Kiana Sladicki works at Pinellas County Solid Waste as the Hazardous Waste Section Manager of the HHW and SQG Programs and was previously a hazardous waste inspector for both Pinellas County and the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection. She is also a member of the NAHMMA Communications Committee and is a NAHMMA Southeast Chapter Board of Directors Member. Kiana can be reached at (727) 464-7548 or e-mail [email protected].