Have you ever participated in an OSHA safety course? If not, you may be feeling a little anxious or unsure of what you’re in for. OSHA, or The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, is designed to keep employees safe in their work environment and protect employers from being sued for work-related injuries.
There are many classes and courses that are offered for specific positions, usually in the construction field, that must be completed to be approved by the safety guidelines and meet the requirements for risky, dangerous jobs. At times, failure to complete these courses could violate OSHA rules.
OSHA requires that many job positions, such as riggers or signal persons, be held by someone who has completed a safety course, been tested on the requirements, and passes with a qualification to hold the dangerous job.
OSHA Safety Courses: What To Expect
Since the variety in OSHA courses vary greatly depending on the need of the job position and the work that is to be done in that sector of business, it’s hard to specify the exact itinerary of a safety course. However, these 4 aspects will be included in every course, with varying degrees.
Different Courses
Depending on the position you are being qualified for, your course will vary. The PEC Basic Orientation is the most popular course, as it covers the basics of everything and has options for both onshore and offshore components.
There are more specific courses for areas such as;
- Hazardous materials
- Lockout/tagout
- Construction
- Hydrogen sulfide protection
- Fall protection
Each course will have it’s own time length, requirements, testing methods, and specific qualifications at the end.
Time Length
Most OSHA safety courses take place over the course of a single day, usually held in about 10 hours with a short lunch break. The basic orientation course is a great example of this, as well as the construction seminars.
However, you may have shorter classes that are used to replace a regular work-day, usually lasting about 8 hours including lunch. These are for smaller areas of expertise, such as fall prevention.
Finally, there are some courses that require more than one sitting, and can take up to 40 hours total to complete. These are for the more advanced qualifications and positions with more material to cover.
Requirements
Not everyone who is involved in construction or other jobs that are closely related to the OSHA standards will require courses. Many of the required qualifications are only in place for supervisors, team leaders, or site managers. However, if you hope to one day get to that point, you may want to make sure you’re getting into the basic, beginner courses to get some of the early certifications in place.
An Average Course
Through a basic OSHA safety course, you can expect to cover many topics quickly. You’ll be proved with reading materials, start & end times, and tests at the end to ensure you learned the content.
Tickets for these courses usually start around $200, but vary depending on the level of the course you’re taking.