OSHA 30-hour General Industry Course Description
I often get asked what the outline or course description is for the OSHA 30-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.
The 30-hour General Industry Outreach Training Program is intended to provide a variety of training to workers with some safety responsibility. Per OSHA’s instruction, the training should emphasize hazard identification, avoidance, control and prevention, not OSHA standards. Instructional time must be a minimum of 30 hours. The topic requirements are outlined below.
This training is intended to be customized. There is no prerequisite and anyone can certainly attend this training, but it is geared towards a supervisor, lead-man, upper manager or anyone who has some responsibility for safety and health.
Per OSHA there are 12 hours of Mandatory topics with time allotments for each topic, 10 hours of Elective topics, and 8 hours of Optional topics. The minimum topic requirements are as follows:
MANDATORY – 12 hours
a) Introduction to OSHA – 1 hour. See the OSHA 10-hour course description for additional information as this topic is identical.
b) Managing Safety and Health – 2 hours. May include Injury and Illness Prevention Programs, job site inspections, accident prevention programs, management commitment and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, accident investigations, how to conduct safety meetings, and supervisory communication.
c) Walking and Working Surfaces, including fall protection – 1 hour.
d) Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, Fire Prevention and Protection Plans – 2 hours.
e) Electrical – 2 hours.
f) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – 1 hour.
g) Materials Handling – 2 hours.
h) Hazard Communication – 1 hour.
ELECTIVE – 10 hours
Must present at least ten hours of training on the following topics. At least 5 topics must be presented. The minimum length of any topic is one-half hour.
a) Hazardous Materials (Flammable and Combustible Liquids, Spray Finishing, Compressed Gases, Dipping and Coating Operations)
b) Permit-Required Confined Spaces
c) Lockout / Tagout
d) Machine Guarding
e) Welding, Cutting, and Brazing
f) Introduction to Industrial Hygiene
g) Bloodborne Pathogens
h) Ergonomics
i) Fall Protection
j) Safety and Health Programs
k) Powered Industrial Vehicles
OPTIONAL – 8 hours
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, pleas 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.