OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Certification

OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 are safety courses offered through OSHA's Outreach Training Program. OSHA 10 is a 10-hour class that builds hazard awareness for workers. OSHA 30 is a 30-hour class for supervisors and workers with safety responsibility.

People call it certification, but OSHA states that a card is not a certification or license. Graduates receive a course completion card from an OSHA-authorized trainer.

What Is the Difference Between OSHA 10 and OSHA 30?

Both courses cover hazard recognition, avoidance, and prevention, along with worker rights and employer responsibilities. The 30-hour class goes further on each topic and adds more of them.

Each course comes in industry versions. The construction version is the one most jobsites ask for, and general industry and maritime versions also exist.

Is OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 Required by Law?

Not by federal OSHA. The agency describes the program as voluntary and says it does not satisfy the training requirements of any OSHA standard.

State and local rules are different. Several states, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Missouri, and Nevada, have passed laws requiring OSHA 10 for certain construction work, mostly on public projects.

Owners, general contractors, and unions also require the cards as a condition of site access. Employers still owe hazard-specific training under OSHA compliance rules, whatever card a worker holds.

Do OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Cards Expire?

Federal OSHA does not require cardholders to retake the course. Renewal rules come from whoever mandates the training, and some states and employers accept only training completed within the past five years.

Replacement cards are limited. OSHA notes that a card cannot be reissued when the class was completed more than five years ago, and trainers have 90 days after a class to issue cards.

OSHA also does not verify individual cards. Employers who doubt a card should contact the trainer or training organization that issued it.

How Should Employers Track OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Cards?

Collect a copy of the card before the first shift and record the course type, completion date, and trainer. HR Cloud's onboarding software gathers documents from new hires on their phones before day one.

For workers without a card, LMS Lite assigns required training automatically once onboarding documents are signed. Our OSHA onboarding checklist lists the rest of the safety steps.

Keep dates in one system so renewals do not surprise a project. See how certification tracking software for construction and skills tracking across projects handle expiring credentials.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is OSHA 10 certification?

A: It is the common name for the 10-hour OSHA Outreach course. It gives workers basic awareness of job hazards and their rights, and ends with a completion card.

Q: What is OSHA 30 certification?

A: It is the 30-hour Outreach course meant for supervisors and workers with safety responsibility. It covers more topics in more depth than OSHA 10.

Q: Is OSHA 10 required for construction workers?

A: Federal OSHA does not require it. Some states, cities, project owners, and unions do, so the answer depends on where and for whom the work is done.

Q: Do I need OSHA 10 before taking OSHA 30?

A: No. The courses are separate, and OSHA 10 is not a prerequisite. Supervisors usually go straight to the 30-hour class.

Q: How do I replace a lost OSHA card?

A: Contact the trainer or online provider who ran the class. OSHA does not keep class records, and replacements are unavailable after five years.

Q: Does an OSHA card replace site safety training?

A: No. Outreach training is general. Employers must still train each worker on the specific hazards and rules of their job and site.