OSHA 10 hour and 30 hour courses: what they are, who they are for and what they cover

The short answer

The OSHA 10 hour and 30 hour courses are classes in the Outreach Training Program of the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The 10 hour class is meant for entry level workers. The 30 hour class is meant for workers who have some safety responsibility, such as supervisors. There is one version for construction and one for general industry. Only trainers authorised by OSHA can issue the official student completion card.

What the program is and is not

• It is a voluntary program. OSHA says that outreach training does not meet the training required by any OSHA standard, and employers must still train workers on the specific hazards of their jobs.
• Some employers, unions and jurisdictions require the card for work on their sites, even though OSHA treats the program as voluntary.
• Training is meant to emphasise hazard identification, avoidance, control and prevention, not OSHA standards, and to cover workers' rights, employer responsibilities and how to file a complaint.
• The program started in 1971. OSHA reports more than 5 million workers trained between FY 2016 and FY 2020.
• Trainers are authorised, not certified, by OSHA and are independent service providers. They must hold a trainer card with an expiry date and renew with an update course every four years.
• The student completion card issued after the class does not expire under OSHA rules. Other bodies may set their own expiry dates. A replacement card can only be issued for training that took place within the last 5 years, and it is requested through your trainer.
• The program also has 7.5 hour and 15 hour classes for disaster site workers, and a maritime version of the 10 and 30 hour classes.

10 hour general industry

• Required, 6 hours, 1 hour each: Introduction to OSHA; Walking and working surfaces, including fall protection; Exit routes, emergency action plans, fire prevention plans and fire protection; Electrical; Personal protective equipment; Hazard communication.
• Electives, 2 hours: at least two topics from hazardous materials, permit-required confined spaces, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, welding, cutting and brazing, introduction to industrial hygiene, bloodborne pathogens, ergonomics, fall protection, safety and health programs, powered industrial vehicles and materials handling.
• Optional, 2 hours: other hazards or policies, or a longer treatment of the required or elective topics.
• No topic may run for less than 30 minutes.

30 hour general industry

• Required, 12 hours: Introduction to OSHA (1); Managing safety and health (2); Walking and working surfaces, including fall protection (1); Exit routes, emergency action plans, fire prevention plans and fire protection (2); Electrical (2); Personal protective equipment (1); Materials handling (2); Hazard communication (1).
• Electives, 10 hours: at least five topics from hazardous materials, permit-required confined spaces, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, welding, cutting and brazing, industrial hygiene, bloodborne pathogens, ergonomics, fall protection, safety and health programs and powered industrial vehicles.
• Optional, 8 hours.

10 hour construction

These hours are from OSHA's Outreach Training Program Construction Industry Procedures, revised on 1 July 2024 and effective from 1 October 2024.

• Required, 6 hours: Introduction to OSHA (1); the Focus Four hazards (4); personal protective equipment (0.5); health hazards in construction (0.5, for example noise, hazard communication or crystalline silica).
• The Focus Four are falls, electrocution, struck by, and caught in or between. Falls get at least 1 hour 30 minutes, because they cause the most construction deaths, and each of the other three gets at least 30 minutes.
• Electives, 2 hours: at least two topics from concrete and masonry, permit-required confined spaces, cranes, derricks, hoists, elevators and conveyors, ergonomics, excavations, fire protection and prevention, materials handling, motor vehicles and mechanised equipment, powered industrial vehicles, safety and health programs, scaffolds, stairways and ladders, steel erection, hand and power tools, and welding and cutting.
• Optional, 2 hours.

30 hour construction

These hours are from the same 2024 procedures.

• Required, 14 hours: Introduction to OSHA (1); Managing safety and health (2); the Focus Four (6, with falls at least 1.5 hours); personal protective equipment (2); health hazards in construction (2); stairways and ladders (1).
• Electives, 12 hours: at least six topics from concrete and masonry, permit-required confined spaces, cranes and hoists, ergonomics, excavations, fire protection and prevention, materials handling, motor vehicles and mechanised equipment, powered industrial vehicles, safety and health programs, scaffolds, steel erection, hand and power tools, welding and cutting, and Foundations for Safety Leadership (at least 2.5 hours).
• Optional, 4 hours.

Choosing a course

1. Decide between construction and general industry by the work you do. Pick construction for building sites and general industry for factories, warehouses, workshops and similar sites.
2. Pick the 10 hour class for workers and the 30 hour class for supervisors and people with safety duties.
3. Check that the trainer or online provider is authorised by OSHA, since only an authorised provider can issue the official card.
4. Ask when and how the card will arrive, and check your name and details.
5. Check what your employer or the project owner requires.
6. Remember that first aid and CPR training, and training given to meet an OSHA standard, cannot count toward the outreach hours.

How this site helps

The OSHA study books on this site cover the main lessons of general industry and construction in short pages with diagrams. They are a study aid and are not published or endorsed by OSHA. They do not replace a class with an authorised trainer.

Common questions

• Is the 30 hour course a better version of the 10 hour course? It covers more topics in more depth and is aimed at supervisors. It does not replace the 10 hour course for entry level work, but it covers the same ground and more.
• Is the card a licence? No. It is proof that you completed a training class.
• Is the course useful outside the United States? Many employers and projects abroad ask for it, but local law decides your legal duties.

Where this comes from

• OSHA Outreach Training Program Construction Industry Procedures and General Industry Procedures, both revised 1 July 2024 and effective 1 October 2024 (osha.gov, read in November 2026 from archived copies).
• OSHA Outreach Training Program: Program Overview (osha.gov, read in November 2026 from an archived copy).
• OSHA revises its outreach procedures from time to time. Confirm the current hours and topics on osha.gov before you plan a class.