The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has organized an Outreach Training Program consisting of OSHA 10 and 30 training courses. OSHA 30 is a 30-hour course that promotes workplace safety and health and improves workers’ knowledge about occupational hazards. Getting an OSHA 30 certification is not a difficult process.
In 2019, there were a total of 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries in the private industry sector. Out of those, 888,220 injuries or illnesses caused a worker to miss at least one day of work. These numbers are practically the same as in 2018, which can cause concern.
OSHA strives to reduce the number of workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities across the board, which is the main motivation behind the Outreach Training Program. OSHA 10 and 30 courses are voluntary, but a worker in any industry can greatly benefit from them.
What is OSHA 30?
The OSHA Outreach Training Program was conceived in 1971 and has evolved significantly since then. Its pain purpose is to promote safety culture in the workplace. It helps workers identify workplace hazards, learn how to mitigate them, and protect themselves and their colleagues. It also includes topics covering worker rights and employer responsibilities.
This program is divided into two main parts: OSHA 10 and OSHA 30.
OSHA 10 is a 10-hour training program aimed at entry-level workers and those in non-supervisory positions. In contrast, the 30-hour training is 30 hours long and geared toward those who hold some degree of health and safety responsibility in the workplace. For example, a site safety coordinator or a site safety manager would find OSHA 30 useful.
The main benefits of the OSHA Outreach courses are practical, hands-on experience, and peer training that promotes safety culture in the workplace.
What is the difference between OSHA 10 and 30?
Aside from the difference in the length of the programs, OSHA 10 and 30 don’t differ much in terms of the topics covered.
Each of these courses has three different versions: for the general industry, construction industry, and maritime industry. Additionally, there are 7.5-hour and 15-hour courses for disaster site workers, those who perform clean-up operations, debris removal, and similar duties after natural or human-made disasters.
OSHA 10 and 30 for each industry have three main segments: mandatory topics covered, elective topics, and optional topics. What topics belong where depends on the industry.
OSHA 10 is intended for low-level workers who don’t manage safety protocols in the workplace. OSHA 30 is meant for supervisors and thus provides a greater depth of knowledge on the selected topics.
Both programs present an overview of the most common hazards on job sites. They teach workers how to recognize, avoid, control, and prevent hazards without focusing too much on OSHA standards and regulations. Neither of the programs is mandatory, though many employers like to see them on resumes and favor potential hires that hold an OSHA safety certification.
How to Get OSHA 30 Certification
- Choose Your Industry
Before you start looking for training programs, decide what industry you want to train for. General industry training is for workers in any industry apart from the construction, maritime, and agricultural industries. Construction workers deal with the development, alteration, and repair of buildings and different types of structures. Lastly, the maritime industry includes workers whose duties involve the construction, scrapping, and repair of vessels and transporting cargo and other materials by ship.
- Find an Authorized Outreach Trainer
Once you find an industry program that fits your job description, you need to find an OSHA-authorized trainer. Only trainers who have been approved by the OSHA are allowed to teach Outreach Training courses and issue an OSHA completion card at the end. To make the search easier for you and prevent the spread of fraudulent programs, OSHA has compiled a list of all authorized trainers in the country.
This list contains the trainers’ contact information and what courses they’re approved to teach. You can choose between an online and an in-person program. If you go for the in-person one, choose local trainers, so you don’t have to travel far.
Don’t forget to check whether the training program you’ve selected is OSHA-authorized. There have been reports of workers who have paid for and underwent training and have received nothing valid at the end.
- Take the Course
You don’t need to pass any exams to get accepted into a training course. There are no requirements you need to meet before applying, not even a minimum age requirement.
The OSHA 30 course may last up to four days. When you start a course, you don’t have to finish it all at once, but you must complete it within six months of the start date. If you don’t complete it in that time, you will have to start over.
OSHA does not require any exam or testing at the end of the training. However, most trainers do set up some knowledge evaluation. You need to discuss this with your trainer beforehand and what type of test it will be and what will be required of you to pass it.
After successful completion, you will be issued an OSHA card or a Department of Labor (DOL) card as well as a certificate.
OSHA 30 Documents
Workers who have completed their OSHA 30-hour training receive a certification card:
- OSHA Course Completion Card: A card that you can carry around in your wallet, a DOL card (or an OSHA card) is issued by an authorized instructor and mailed to you shortly after completing your course. The cards for OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 are different, but neither type has an expiration date (meaning you won’t have to retake your course in the future). Nowadays, completion cards are made from plastic and durable, so you can easily take them with you anywhere you go.
If you happen to lose your card and require a replacement, you have to go through your trainer. A replacement will cost $30. Your trainer will contact the OSHA training organization so they can issue a new card for you. Keep in mind that replacement cards can only be issued if you have completed training in the last five years.
Is OSHA 30 right for you?
As mentioned above, none of the OSHA Outreach Program courses are obligatory, nor will they guarantee you employment after completion. Your organization may also require you to undertake additional safety training to cover topics not presented by OSHA 30.
However, employers like to see these certifications on resumes. Workers who are educated about all the most common workplace safety and health hazards and know how to control them are highly valued in any field.
If you are a supervisor in charge of a group of employees and their safety, you could benefit from OSHA 30 training. It will help you feel more secure in your workplace and provide you with insight into how to ensure your coworkers’ safety.
Conclusion
Getting an OSHA 30 completion certificate is not too challenging. The main takeaway from this article should be that you need to find an authorized OSHA Outreach trainer. Many workers have been scammed out of their money by programs claiming to provide OSHA cards at the end.
Decide whether you want to take a course for the construction, general, or maritime industry. You can also take a course for disaster site workers. Find a trainer near you through the official list of authorized trainers on the OSHA site. You can also go for online OSHA training if you don’t wish to leave your home.
To apply for a 30-hour course, you don’t need any special requirements. However, you may be asked to pass an exam at the end, so your trainer is confident you absorbed all the relevant information from the course.
OSHA 30 is ideal for workers who carry safety responsibility in the workplace. You will learn about similar topics covered in OSHA 10, only more in-depth.
If you have any additional questions about OSHA 30, don’t hesitate to reach out to SAFE. Please send an email to larry@safety4employers.com or give us a call at 775-843-8318. We are here to help you improve your workplace safety and guide you through getting all the certifications you need to advance your career.
