"Does everyone need an OSHA 30?" is one of the most common questions we hear from contractors and plant managers. The short answer is no. The 10-hour and 30-hour courses are written for different people, and sending the whole crew to the 30-hour course costs time without making them any safer on the job.
Here is how the two courses differ, how to choose between construction and general industry, and when state law decides for you.
What OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 actually are
Both courses come from OSHA's Outreach Training Program, a voluntary program that teaches workers to recognize, avoid and prevent workplace hazards. Two things surprise many employers:
- It isn't a certification. People who finish an Outreach course get a completion card from the Department of Labor, often called a "DOL card." It shows the person took the course. It doesn't certify them to do any particular job.
- It doesn't replace the training OSHA standards require. Taking OSHA 10 doesn't satisfy the specific training rules for forklifts, fall protection, confined spaces, hazard communication or any other standard. Those still have to be met on their own.
Outreach cards can only be issued by OSHA-authorized trainers. If your contract or project requires official DOL cards, ask the provider to confirm their authorization before you book.
OSHA 10: for workers
The 10-hour course is meant for entry-level workers, people whose job is to recognize a hazard and protect themselves from it. It gives a broad introduction to OSHA, workers' rights and the most common hazards in their industry.
On a construction site, most of the time goes to the Focus Four: falls, struck-by, caught-in or between, and electrocution. Together these cause the majority of construction deaths. The course also covers personal protective equipment and health hazards such as silica and noise.
OSHA 30: for supervisors and anyone responsible for others
The 30-hour course is written for supervisors, foremen, superintendents, competent persons and safety leads. It covers the same hazards as the 10-hour course and adds what a supervisor has to do about them:
- Inspection duties, and who is competent to carry them out
- The written programs behind the standards
- Competent-person responsibilities for excavations, scaffolds and fall protection
- Recordkeeping and correcting hazards
The simplest rule: if someone signs off on a trench, a scaffold or a fall protection plan, or directs other people's work, they belong in the 30-hour course. Everyone else on the crew is well served by the 10-hour course.
Construction or general industry?
Both courses come in two versions, and the right one depends on the work, not the company name:
- Construction (29 CFR 1926) for building, altering, repairing or demolishing structures. OSHA 10-Hour Construction and OSHA 30-Hour Construction.
- General industry (29 CFR 1910) for manufacturing plants, warehouses, distribution centers and similar operations. OSHA 10-Hour General Industry and OSHA 30-Hour General Industry.
Some employers need both. A manufacturer whose maintenance crew also handles building renovations, for example, may have people working under both sets of standards.
How long each course takes
OSHA limits Outreach training to 7.5 hours per day, so the 10-hour course runs over at least two days and the 30-hour course over at least four. The days don't have to be consecutive, which makes it easier to fit training around a production schedule or a project timeline.
OSHA doesn't set an expiration date on Outreach cards. Some employers, general contractors and local jurisdictions require refresher training every few years, so check your contract and project specifications.
Missouri public works: OSHA 10 is the law
For contractors working in Missouri, OSHA 10 isn't always optional. Missouri law (Section 292.675, RSMo) requires contractors and subcontractors on public works projects to provide a 10-hour OSHA construction safety course to every employee who will be on the project site. Workers have to complete it within 60 days of starting work on the project.
That covers a lot of work in our home state, from school and municipal buildings to state and county projects. If you bid public work in Missouri, from St. Louis to Hannibal to Kansas City, budget for OSHA 10 when you staff the job. Check the current statute and your contract documents for the exact requirements on each project.
Many private general contractors across the Midwest set a similar rule of their own: no 10-hour card, no site access. Increasingly they expect foremen to hold a 30-hour card too.
A practical staffing rule
For most crews we work with, this setup works well:
- Everyone who works on site: OSHA 10 in the right industry version
- Foremen, leads and competent persons: OSHA 30
- Everyone, whatever their card: the task-specific training their equipment and hazards require under the individual OSHA standards
How BHG Safety Partners helps
We deliver construction and general industry safety training onsite at your job site or facility, using the hazards and equipment your people actually work with as examples. If you aren't sure which course each person needs, or whether a project's contract requires official DOL cards, contact us and we'll help you sort it out before the job starts.