OSHA 10 cheat sheet

OSHA was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed into law December 29, 1970, and began operating April 28, 1971.

The OSH Act covers most private-sector employers and their employees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; federal agencies are covered through a separate executive order.

Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause, requires employers to furnish a workplace free of recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm when no specific standard applies.

Section 11(c) prohibits retaliation against employees for exercising rights such as filing complaints, participating in inspections, or reporting injuries; complaints must generally be filed within 30 days.

Employee rights include requesting an inspection, accompanying the compliance officer on the walkaround, and receiving a copy of citations issued to the employer.

State plans approved by OSHA must be at least as effective as federal OSHA; about half the states and two territories operate approved plans.

Employers must report to OSHA any work-related fatality within 8 hours and any in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours.

OSHA penalties are adjusted annually for inflation; the maximum per-willful-or-repeated-violation penalty has exceeded $150,000 in recent years, with per-serious-violation maximums around $16,000.

The Focus Four hazards are falls, struck-by, caught-in or -between, and electrocution; they account for the majority of construction fatalities.

Falls: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M requires fall protection at 6 feet for general construction, 10 feet for scaffolds, and at any height over dangerous equipment.

Fall protection systems include guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, positioning devices, and warning line systems with controlled access zones.

Struck-by: 1926 Subpart E requires head protection where overhead hazards exist; hard hats must meet ANSI Z89.1 and be replaced after impact.

Caught-in/-between: 1926 Subpart P requires protective systems (sloping, shoring, shielding, or trench boxes) for excavations 5 feet or deeper and for any depth where a competent person identifies a hazard.

Electrocution: 1926 Subpart K requires maintaining 10-foot clearance from overhead power lines up to 50 kV, plus 0.4 inch per kV above 50 kV, unless de-energized or guarded.

Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program (1926.404) requires cord sets and equipment to be tested before first use, after repairs, and at 3-month intervals.

A competent person is one capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and who has authority to take prompt corrective action.

OSHA's Susan Harwood Training Grant Program funds nonprofit organizations to develop and deliver free or low-cost training on worker safety and health.

The OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers deliver courses such as OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour outreach training in construction, general industry, maritime, and disaster site work.

The OSHA 10-hour course is a voluntary orientation of at least 10 contact hours; the 30-hour course is at least 30 hours; neither is a certification of competence.

OSHA provides free publications, fact sheets, QuickCards, and eTools on its website, many available in multiple languages.

On-site consultation services funded by OSHA provide free, confidential advice to small and medium employers and are separate from enforcement.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) publishes hazard evaluations (Health Hazard Evaluations) and research on construction exposures.

Alliance and Strategic Partnership programs allow trade associations, unions, and employers to collaborate with OSHA on training and outreach.

OSHA's Spanish-language portal (osha.gov/es) offers publications, fact sheets, and posters translated into Spanish.

Required training under OSHA standards must be delivered in a language and vocabulary the employee understands; Spanish-language materials support this requirement.

Spanish-language QuickCards cover Focus Four topics such as caídas (falls), golpeado por (struck-by), atrapado entre (caught-in/-between), and electrocución.

The OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour courses are offered in Spanish by many OTI Education Centers and authorized trainers.

Spanish publications retain the same regulatory citations (e.g., 29 CFR 1926.501) as the English versions, so citations can be matched across languages.

Key Spanish terms: peligro (hazard), riesgo (risk), capacitación (training), equipo de protección personal (PPE), and trabajador (worker).

Employers must ensure translated materials are accurate; OSHA provides official Spanish translations, which should be preferred over unofficial ones.

OSHA 10-hour construction outreach content typically covers Introduction to OSHA (at least 1 hour), Focus Four hazards (at least 6 hours with each of the four covered), and elective and other topics.

Focus Four time allocation: falls, struck-by, caught-in/-between, and electrocution each receive dedicated instruction; falls typically receive the most time.

Presentations should include the OSHA training requirements for the topics covered, such as 1926.21 (safety training) and 1926.503 (fall protection training).

Effective slides use hazard scenarios, images of unsafe conditions, and discussion prompts to reinforce recognition of hazards.

Trainers should document attendance, topic coverage, and hours; students receive a card from the authorized trainer, valid for the curriculum completed.

Content should reflect current standards and citations; outdated citations (e.g., pre-2017 walking-working surfaces or crane rules) should be updated.

Adult-learning best practices for safety training include short lecture segments, hands-on demonstrations, case studies, and open discussion of worksite examples.