OSHA 30-Hour Construction Card Becoming a Contractual Requirement in MA, RI, CT and NY

OSHA 30 Construction Training is becoming a primary requirement for supervisory staff on many construction contracts throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.                                             All throughout the northeast construction employees are taking classes to get their OSHA 30-hour construction training course completion cards. The cards are increasing becoming a contractual requirement for supervisory staff on construction projects. Essentially this means starting with the foreman and continuing upwards to the construction superintendents and project management many contracts are calling for the OSHA 30-Hour Construction Outreach Certification as specific requirement in the contract for all management personnel under the safety and health program. Some states already require construction employees working on public projects to have their 10-hour training done before they walk onto the construction site. But now the private sector has moved the requirement forward for supervisory staff, it not enough anymore for management to have some basic training. Owner, construction manager, general contractors and insurance providers want to reduce their risk on construction project and they have come to recognize that deploying the right team of professional to manage this risk will certainly help keep employees safe on the jobsite and reduce their liabilities. Risk reduction is good business all around and it’s only a matter of time before the public side of the construction industry comes onboard with a mandated requirement of an OSHA 30-Hour training for all supervisory staff. Many industry experts feel this requirement will hit the public construction industry within the next two years. However, it is not just the construction industry buying into this practice requiring 30-hour training for their supervisors, 20% of the OSHA completion cards are issued to employees within General Industry. Let’s see how the demand for the OSHA 10 and 30 Hours has grown throughout past 10 years! The OSHA Outreach Training Program was initiated in 1971, and has grown significantly in recent years.  Between 2008 and 2013, more than 3.6 million workers were trained in job hazard recognition and avoidance through the program.From 2005-2008, there were 411,067 general industry completion cards issued and 1,601,335 construction industry completion cards were issued.Compare these numbers to the four year period from 2001-2004 when 231,934 general industry cards and 833,448 construction cards were issued.  So what is OSHA 10-Hour and 30-hour Construction Outreach Training? The training provides general awareness on primary safety and health matters. Employees are taught to recognize, control, and prevent safety and health hazards. OSHA has guidelines for 10- and 30-hour training for both the construction industry and general industry workers. The 10-hour course is just that, 10 hours of training in various workplace safety topics that are tailored to the needs of the specific group of employees being trained. The 30-hour course is an expansion of the 10-hour that provides more detail on the specific topics. OSHA does not require that employers train workers using the guidelines (although some states require 10- and 30-hour training for construction employee working on certain projects). However, employees do need to be trained to recognize, control, and prevent safety and health hazards. The 10- and 30-hour training is an efficient way to provide basic safety information. Employees must receive additional training (over and above the 10- and 30-hour training) on specific hazards of their job. OSHA leaves it up to the employer to determine how to do that, although there are mandatory training requirements for some hazards. How is the OSHA 10-Hour and 30-hour Construction Outreach Training designed? According to OSHA, the most efficient training will be designed and taught as follows: Worker emphasis — Outreach classes are designed to be presented to all workers, not just those familiar with OSHA regulations. That is why the training must emphasize hazard identification, avoidance, control and prevention, and not OSHA standards. Presentations must be tailored to the specific needs and understanding of the audience. Importance of training — Trainers should explain early in the class that this training isn’t a time waster and that it may save the trainees’ life.  Site-specific training — Students will benefit most from classes to which they can relate. The trainer can help by using examples, pictures and real-life scenarios from workplaces that are familiar to students. Homogenous class — The ideal class is one where students have similar positions and needs. It is best to hold separate sessions for supervisors, managers and workers, when possible. Try to train workers from similar groups such as trade groups, office personnel, machine operators and maintenance staff. Train workers in their language — When training, make sure you know your audience, including whether there are language barriers. To the extent possible, teach non-English speaking workers separately. Use translators, easy to understand photos, videos in their language and hands-on activities. Also emphasize real-life examples. Describe skills/training objectives — Effective trainers will describe the skills and abilities the students should have for each topic. Then develop course objectives that mesh with the students’ job or work, if possible. Presentation style — Students learn in different ways and benefit from multiple training styles. Use different trainers, computer presentations, videos, case studies, exercises, and graphics to make the course interesting and enjoyable. By doing so, trainers will be employing the three levels of training techniques: Presentation (presenting the material in a variety of ways),Discussion (getting the students involved in the learning), and Performance (students practice the material they learned). Testing — OSHA feels quizzes and tests help students remain focused and understand key objectives. Trainers may set passing scores and then provide feedback to the students on the exam questions. Evaluations — A class evaluation should be completed. Trainers should use this feedback to determine whether the course has accomplished the goals and how to improve the training. Yup you need OSHA 10-Hour and 30-hour Construction class so what’s next? Learn more about our construction training programs throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York give us a call at 877-399-1698 or by clicking here and filling out a request for services form. One of our account associates will be sure to get back to you within one business day of your request.