OSHA 10-hour General Industry Course Description
I often get asked what the outline or course description is for the OSHA 10-hr General Industry Outreach Training Program. Below is a course description and outline:
“General Industry” applies to every industry except for construction, maritime and agriculture. Examples of where the OSHA General Industry standards apply include but are not limited to: manufacturing of all kinds, cleaning companies, maintenance and facilities, catering, restaurants, hotels, offices, mechanics, other shops, HVAC fabrication, marble and granite fab shops, and any other place of business that is not construction, ship building or agriculture.
This training program is intended to provide entry level general industry workers information about their rights, employer responsibilities, and how to contact OSHA as well as how to identify, abate, avoid and prevent job related hazards. 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 General Industry Outreach Training is best designed for that. The training covers a variety of general 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) Walking and Working Surfaces, including fall protection – 1 hour.
c) Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, Fire Prevention and Protection Plans – 1 hour.
d) Electrical – 1 hour.
e) Personal Protective Equipment – 1 hour.
f) Hazard Communication – 1 hour.
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) Hazardous Materials
b) Materials Handling
c) Machine Guarding
d) Introduction to Industrial Hygiene
e) Bloodborne Pathogens
f) Ergonomics
g) Safety and Health Program
h) Fall Protection
Optional – 2 hour
Teach other general 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.