Introduction to OSHA

Introduction to OSHA or an OSHA 10 Hour Card?

Both courses teach OSHA basics, but only one ends with a Department of Labor card, and they take very different amounts of time.

• Introduction to OSHA. The page you are on. A 30-minute overview of the OSH Act, inspections, citations and how the construction standards are organized.
• OSHA 10 Hour Construction. The 10-hour Outreach Training Program course, delivered by an authorized trainer, ending in a Department of Labor card many sites ask for. View the OSHA 10 Hour Construction

If a contract or site requires a card, take the 10-hour course. If you want the basics quickly, start here.

What Does the OSH Act Require of an Employer?

The course starts with the law itself, because every OSHA standard sits under it.

• A workplace free of recognized hazards. Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause, requires each employer to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
• Comply with the standards. Section 5(a)(2) requires employers to comply with the occupational safety and health standards issued under the Act.
• Employees follow the rules too. Section 5(b) puts a duty on each employee to follow the standards, rules and orders that apply to their own conduct.
• Hazards without a standard still count. Where no standard covers a hazard, such as ergonomics, OSHA can still cite the employer under the General Duty Clause.

The course uses the Act as the spine, then works out to the regulations in 29 CFR 1926.