OSHA 500 study guide
OSHA 500 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The OSHA 500 - formally the Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for the Construction Industry - is the course people take to become OSHA authorized trainers and go on to deliver the OSHA 10-Hour and 30-Hour construction outreach classes. On OSHA's website this material lives under Outreach Training Program, then Construction Industry, under the heading "Trainer Information for the Construction Industry." The audience is working safety professionals: consultants, union and association instructors, corporate safety staff, and anyone whose job includes teaching construction hazard recognition to crews. The OSHA 500 study guide has 5 sections and about 1,779 words.
01Introduction to OSHA
OSHA was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Construction work is governed mainly by 29 CFR Part 1926, general industry by Part 1910, and injury and illness recording by Part 1904.
310 words, about 2 min02Construction Focus Four Hazards
The Focus Four - falls, struck-by, caught-in/between, and electrocution - account for the majority of construction fatalities, so expect several questions built around telling them apart. Fall protection is triggered at 6 feet in construction, 10 feet on scaffolds, and 4 feet in general industry.
291 words, about 1 min03Personal Protective Equipment
Under 1926.95 and 1910.132–138, the employer selects, provides, and pays for required PPE and must verify the hazard assessment in writing. Traps: non-specialty safety-toe footwear and non-specialty prescription safety glasses may be left to the employee when the employer permits off-site wear; ordinary weather gear and items the employee chooses to wear are not employer-paid.
292 words, about 1 min04Health Hazards in Construction
Health effects accumulate over time, so controls focus on exposure limits and monitoring rather than single events. Major construction exposures: respirable crystalline silica, lead, asbestos, noise, welding fumes, solvent vapors, carbon monoxide, hexavalent chromium, cadmium, and heat.
295 words, about 1 min05Safety and Health Programs, Recordkeeping and Reporting
Construction standards require an accident prevention effort: 1926.20(b)(1) obliges employers to initiate and maintain programs, and 1926.20(b)(2) requires frequent and regular inspections by a competent person. 1926.21 requires safety training for employees exposed to unsafe conditions.
591 words, about 3 min