OSHA 10-hour Construction Course Description
I often get asked what the outline or course description is for the OSHA 10-hr Construction Industry Outreach Training Program. Below is a course description and outline:
The OSHA “Construction Industry” standards apply to new construction, installation, repair, renovation, painting, demolition and decorating. The construction standards do not apply to manufacturing, agriculture or maritime (ship building); these industries have their own OSHA standards.
This training program is intended to provide entry level construction workers information about their rights, employer responsibilities, and how to contact OSHA as well as how to identify, abate, avoid and prevent related hazards on a job site. This training is intended to be customized as you can see in the outline below. This program can be geared toward supervisors, but the OSHA 30-hr Construction Outreach Training is best designed for that. The training covers a variety of construction industry safety and health hazards which a worker may encounter. Per OSHA’s instruction, this training emphasizes hazard identification, avoidance, control and prevention, not OSHA standards. Instructional time must be a minimum of 10 hours.
Per OSHA there are 6 hours of Mandatory topics with time allotments for each topic, 2 hours of Elective topics, and 2 hour of Optional topics. The minimum topic requirements are as follows:
MANDATORY – 6 hours
a) Introduction to OSHA – 1 hour.
- Covers workers’ rights, employer responsibilities and how to file a complaint. It includes helpful worker safety and health resources. It focuses on identifying, removing and preventing hazards.
- Student receive handouts and are involved in class role plays and activities.
b) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – 30 minutes.
c) Health Hazards in Construction – 30 minutes. May teach noise, hazard communication, crystalline silica, lead or any other construction health hazard.
d) OSHA Focus Four Hazards – 4 hours. Because most construction fatalities are caused by fall hazards, falls must be covered for a minimum of one hour and 15 minutes. The other Focus Four Hazards must be covered for a minimum of one-half hour each.
- Falls (minimum 1 hour and 30 minutes)
- Electrocution
- Struck-By (i.e. falling objects, trucks, cranes, …)
- Caught-In or Between (i.e. trench hazards, equipment, …)
Focus Four Hazards Training Requirements
All lessons for the Focus Four Hazards are required to train using the following objectives. Given current OSHA and industry information regarding construction worksite illnesses, injuries, and/or fatalities, the student will be able to recognize [fall, caught-in or between, struck-by, electrocution] hazards in construction.
Specifically for each of the focus four, the student will be able to:
- Identify major hazards
- Describe types of hazards
- Protect him/herself from these hazards
- Recognize employer requirements to protect workers from these hazards
Because these objectives are the expected student outcomes, trainers:
- May not vary from these objectives when planning the training session; and
- Must follow the participatory training model by applying effective training techniques;
ELECTIVE – 2 hours
Must present at least two hours of training on the following topics. At least two topics must be presented. The minimum length of any topic is one-half hour.
a) Cranes, Derricks, Hoists, Elevators, & Conveyors
b) Excavations
c) Materials Handling, Storage, Use and Disposal
d) Scaffolds
e) Stairways and Ladders
f) Tools – Hand and Power
OPTIONAL – 2 hour
Teach other construction industry hazards or policies and/or expand on the mandatory or elective topics. The minimum length of any topic is one-half hour.
The Outreach Training Program is voluntary. However, some states and local jurisdictions have enacted laws mandating Outreach training. Some employers, unions, and various other jurisdictions also require workers to have this training to work on job sites and to fulfill their own safety training goals.
If you have any questions or would like more detail, please contact me, the Spanish OSHA Guy! (Or… you could just ask for Steve.) Thanks for taking the time to read this far down. I look forward to the opportunity and privilege of training you and your employees.