🦺 Stuff Every Worker Should Know: Training Guide

Where OSHA Comes From

Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970. This law created OSHA as part of the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA sets and enforces workplace safety and health rules.

The OSH Act gives employers two main duties. Section 5(a)(1) is the General Duty Clause, which requires employers to keep workplaces free from recognized serious hazards. Section 5(a)(2) requires employers to follow every OSHA standard that applies to them.

Workers also have a legal duty. Section 5(b) says each employee must follow OSHA safety and health standards and rules that apply to their own actions.

Your Rights at Work

Employers must display OSHA's Job Safety and Health poster where workers can easily see it. The poster is free from OSHA, and employers should not pay a vendor for it. On construction jobs, it goes where workers report each day.

Workers have the right to refuse work that would expose them to a serious hazard. Whenever possible, tell the employer about the danger first. Workers also have the right to see results of tests taken to find workplace hazards.

Workers have the right to safety training in a language and vocabulary they understand. They also can get copies of their own medical records.

Workers can file a complaint with OSHA and ask that their name be left off the employer's copy. A complaint can be filed by phone at 1-800-321-OSHA, online, by mail, by fax, or in person.

Inspections and Retaliation

OSHA normally does not warn employers before an inspection. Advance notice is allowed only in limited cases, such as imminent danger, and usually no more than 24 hours ahead.

Imminent danger situations get top inspection priority. Next come severe injury reports, worker complaints, referrals, targeted inspections, and follow-up inspections.

An OSHA compliance safety and health officer starts an on-site inspection by showing credentials with a photo and serial number. The inspection includes an opening conference, a walkaround, and a closing conference.

During a walkaround, both an employer representative and an employee-authorized representative may go with the inspector. Since 2024, the employee representative can be a third party when the inspector finds good cause.

Section 11(c) bans firing or punishing workers for safety complaints. If an employer retaliates, the worker must file a retaliation complaint with OSHA within 30 days.

Reporting Severe Injuries

Employers must report a work-related death to OSHA within 8 hours. Hospitalizations, amputations, and eye losses have a 24 hour deadline. Even small employers exempt from injury logs must report these.

If the local OSHA office is closed, use the toll-free number 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) or the online reporting application. Voicemail, fax, and email to a closed office do not count.

A report must include the time and location of the incident and a contact person's phone number. Car crashes on public roads outside a construction work zone do not need reporting but are still recorded.

OSHA 300 Log and 301 Incident Report

Employers must enter a recordable injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log within 7 calendar days. Each case also gets an OSHA 301 Incident Report, filled in within the same 7 days.

For privacy cases, such as needlestick injuries, the log says privacy case instead of the worker's name.

Workers and former workers can get a free copy of the OSHA 300 Log by the end of the next business day.

Annual Summary and Retention

Each year, a company executive certifies the OSHA 300-A annual summary. Employers post it where notices usually go from February 1 until April 30.

If there were no recordable cases, the employer still posts the summary with zeros. The summary must be certified by a company executive.

OSHA 300 Logs, 301 Incident Reports, and annual summaries are kept for five years. During that time the 300 Log must be updated if new cases or changes come to light.

Small Employer Exemption

A company with 10 or fewer employees all year is partly exempt from keeping injury and illness logs. It still must report deaths and severe injuries to OSHA.

OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics can still tell a small employer in writing to keep records.

Labels You Can Read

Every shipped chemical label has six parts: product identifier, signal word, hazard statements, pictograms, precautionary statements, and the responsible party's name, U.S. address, and phone.

Labels must be in English. Other languages may be added too, but English is required.

HazCom uses only two signal words. Danger marks the more severe hazards, and Warning marks the less severe. If Danger is on a label, Warning does not also appear. Caution is not a HazCom signal word.

Pictograms

An OSHA HazCom pictogram is a square set on a point with a black hazard symbol on a white background and a red frame. An empty red diamond with no symbol is not allowed.

OSHA requires eight of the nine GHS pictograms. The Environment pictogram is non-mandatory because environmental hazards fall outside OSHA's job.

The flame over circle pictogram warns about oxidizers. Plain flame is for flammables. The exploding bomb covers explosives, self-reactives, and organic peroxides.

Skull and crossbones means acute toxicity that can be fatal or toxic. The health hazard pictogram warns about long-term dangers like cancer, genetic damage, and reproductive toxicity. The exclamation mark covers milder effects like skin and eye irritation.

Safety Data Sheets

Every safety data sheet (SDS) has 16 sections in the same order. Section 1 is Identification and Section 16 is Other information, including the revision date.

Section 8 tells you what protective gear to wear and covers exposure limits and engineering controls. Section 9 lists physical and chemical properties, Section 10 covers stability and reactivity.

Employers must keep an SDS for every hazardous chemical in the work area and make it readily accessible during each work shift. A locked office at night does not count. Electronic SDSs are okay if workers can reach them without barriers.

Training

Employers must train workers on hazardous chemicals at initial assignment and again whenever a new chemical hazard arrives in the work area.

Training must cover how to spot a chemical release, such as by odor, appearance, or monitors.

Employer Duties and Payment

Before choosing PPE, the employer must assess workplace hazards and put a written certification in place. The certification names the workplace, the person certifying, and the date.

The employer must choose PPE that properly fits each affected worker and tell workers what gear is needed.

Required PPE is provided by the employer at no cost to employees. The employer also pays to replace it unless the worker lost it or damaged it on purpose. Everyday clothing and weather gear like winter coats and sunscreen are not on the employer's bill.

Eye, Head, Foot, and Hand Protection

When there is a hazard from flying objects, eye protection must include side protection. Clip-on or slide-on side shields are allowed if they meet the standard. Workers who wear prescription glasses need safety eyewear with the prescription built in, or goggles that fit over them.

In general industry, employers must make sure workers wear a protective helmet when there is a potential for falling objects. Near exposed electrical conductors, the helmet must also reduce shock hazard. On construction sites, head protection covers impact, falling or flying objects, and electrical shock and burns.

On construction sites, eye or face protection is required when workers are exposed to flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, chemical gases, or harmful light. When flying objects are a hazard, the eye protection must also give side protection.

Protective footwear is needed where feet could be hurt by falling or rolling objects or by sharp objects piercing the sole. It must meet ASTM F2412 and F2413 or an equally effective design.

Employers choose gloves by matching the glove to the task, conditions, duration, and hazards. No single glove protects against everything. Hazards include skin absorption, severe cuts, punctures, chemical burns, and thermal burns.

Hearing and Respiratory Protection

When an employer must provide hearing protectors, workers get to select from a variety of suitable protectors the employer provides. The employer also trains workers on use and care and checks the initial fit.

A tight-fitting respirator must be fit tested before first use, whenever a different size, style, model, or make is used, and at least annually.

Before a worker is fit tested or required to wear a respirator, a doctor or other licensed health care professional must provide a medical evaluation, often starting with a questionnaire.

Tight-fitting respirators must seal against bare skin. Facial hair that comes between the sealing surface and the face, or that affects the valve, is not allowed. Workers must do a user seal check each time they put on a tight-fitting respirator.

Training and Retraining

Before starting a task that calls for PPE, workers learn when protection is needed and how to put it on, remove it, and care for it. They also show they can use the gear correctly before doing the job.

Workers must be retrained when the workplace or the PPE changes enough to make old training obsolete.

Fall Protection Triggers and Systems

On construction sites, fall protection is required at 6 feet for unprotected sides or edges. Employers may choose guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems.

A personal fall arrest system must limit maximum arresting force on a worker to 1,800 pounds when used with a body harness. The system must be rigged so a worker can free fall no more than 6 feet.

Fall arrest anchorages must hold at least 5,000 pounds per worker attached, unless a qualified person designs the system with a safety factor of at least two.

Guardrails, Hole Covers, and Nets

A construction guardrail top edge must be 42 inches plus or minus 3 inches above the walking/working level. Midrails and toeboards go below the top rail.

The guardrail top rail must withstand at least 200 pounds applied within 2 inches of the top edge in any outward or downward direction. Midrails and lower members must hold at least 150 pounds.

A cover for a hole in a walking surface must hold at least twice the weight that may be put on it and be secured so wind, equipment, or workers cannot move it. Covers must be color coded or marked with the word HOLE or COVER.

Safety nets used for fall protection must be installed as close as practicable below the work surface, never more than 30 feet below.

On low-slope roof work, warning line systems must be erected around all sides of the roof work area. Without mechanical equipment, the warning line must be at least 6 feet back from the roof edge.

Toeboards used for falling object protection must be at least 3.5 inches high and hold at least 50 pounds of force pushed down or out at any point.

Ladders

For access to an upper landing, portable ladder side rails must extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing surface. This gives workers something to grab while getting on and off.

For non-self-supporting portable ladders, use the 4-to-1 rule: place the ladder foot about 1 foot out for every 4 feet of working length. This keeps the ladder angle safe.

Keep three points of contact when climbing a portable ladder: two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand. This helps keep control if one hand or foot slips.

Scaffolds

On a construction scaffold, fall protection is required at heights above 10 feet, using guardrail systems or personal fall arrest. This trigger height is different from the general 6 foot construction fall protection trigger.

A competent person must inspect scaffolds before each work shift and after any occurrence that could affect structural integrity.

Workers on scaffolds need protection from falling tools and debris in addition to hard hats, such as toeboards, screens, guardrails, debris nets, catch platforms, or canopies.

Workers exposed to fall hazards on construction sites must receive fall protection training. A competent person trains them on the nature of fall hazards and correct use of fall protection systems.

Excavation and Trenching Basics

A trench 5 feet or deeper generally requires a cave-in protective system, unless it is entirely in stable rock. Under 5 feet, no protective system is needed only if a competent person finds no sign of a possible cave-in.

Trenches 20 feet or deeper need a protective system designed by a registered professional engineer, or based on tabulated data an engineer prepared or approved.

Before excavating near underground utilities, the employer must determine the estimated location of sewer, phone, fuel, electric, water, and other underground lines. Calling 811 is the common way to have lines located before digging.

Spoil, Egress, and Inspections

Keep spoil piles and other materials at least 2 feet back from the edge of an excavation, or use a retaining device. This helps prevent material from collapsing into the trench.

In a trench 4 feet deep or more, provide ladders, ramps, or stairs so workers travel no more than 25 feet laterally to reach an exit.

A competent person is someone who can identify hazards and has authority to take prompt corrective measures. A competent person is not necessarily the boss, but must have power to fix hazards.

A competent person must inspect excavations, adjacent areas, and protective systems daily for cave-in hazards, hazardous atmospheres, and failing protective systems.

Storage and Traffic

Materials stored in tiers must be stacked, racked, blocked, interlocked, or otherwise secured to prevent sliding, falling, or collapse.

On an excavation job, workers exposed to public vehicular traffic must wear high-visibility or reflectorized warning garments. This helps drivers and equipment operators see workers near moving vehicles.

Walking Surfaces and General Industry Falls

In general industry, workplaces, passageways, storerooms, and walking-working surfaces must be kept clean, orderly, and sanitary. Walking-working surfaces must also be kept free of hazards like leaks, spills, snow, and ice.

When a walking surface hazard cannot be fixed right away, the employer must guard it so no one uses it. Repairs that affect a surface's structure must be done or supervised by a qualified person.

In general industry, fall protection is required at 4 feet for unprotected sides and edges. The rule is 29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1).

General industry guardrail top rails are 42 inches high, plus or minus 3 inches. Guardrails need midrails or similar members, and must hold at least 200 pounds pushed down or out near the top edge.

The general industry guardrail top edge height is 42 inches nominal.

Ground Fault Protection

On construction sites, 120-volt, 15 and 20 ampere temporary receptacles used by employees must have approved ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) for personnel protection.

An alternative to GFCI protection is a written assured equipment grounding conductor program. The written description must be kept at the jobsite for inspection.

In general industry, 125-volt, 15 and 20 amp receptacles in bathrooms or on rooftops must have GFCI protection. Temporary outlets during construction-like work need it too.

Safe Electrical Equipment and Cords

Worn or frayed electric cords or cables must not be used on a construction site. Damaged cords can expose energized wires.

Extension cords used with portable electric tools must be three-wire and designed for hard or extra-hard usage. The third wire provides the equipment grounding path.

Extension cords and flexible cords may not be run through holes in walls, ceilings, or floors. Damaged cords must be removed from service until repaired and tested.

The path to ground from electrical equipment must be permanent, continuous, and effective. OSHA bans plug adapters that break the grounding connection.

The employer must ensure electrical equipment used in construction is free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Guarding and Clearances

Live electrical parts of 50 volts or more must be guarded against accidental contact by cabinets, enclosures, partitions, screens, or by location such as a room only qualified people can enter. Raising parts 8 feet or more above the floor is also allowed.

Before working close to an electric power circuit, employees must be protected by deenergizing and grounding the circuit or guarding it effectively by insulation or other means.

Once voltage is known, a crane must keep at least 10 feet from a power line of up to 50 kV. Higher voltages need more room. Another option is to keep crane, load line, and load at least 20 feet from the line.

Temporary lamps for general lighting must be protected from accidental contact or breakage. Metal-case sockets must be grounded, and temporary lights may not hang by their cords unless designed for it.

Lockout Tagout

The main purpose of lockout/tagout is control of hazardous energy, preventing machines from starting up unexpectedly or releasing stored energy during service. The general industry rule is 29 CFR 1910.147.

Only authorized employees who perform servicing or maintenance may apply lockout or tagout devices. They must be trained to recognize hazardous energy sources.

Affected employees must be notified before lockout or tagout devices are applied and after they are removed. An affected employee runs the machine or works in the area, but does not do the lockout.

A lockout device physically holds an energy isolating device in a safe position. A tag is a prominent warning but does not physically stop anyone. If a machine can be locked out, OSHA requires lockout unless tagout gives full employee protection.

Deenergized equipment or circuits must be made inoperative and have tags attached at all points where they could be energized. Tags must plainly identify the equipment or circuits being worked on.

Machinery and Mobile Equipment

The point of operation is the area on a machine where work is actually done on the material, like where a blade cuts. If it can hurt someone, it must be guarded. Power saws, shears, power presses, and jointers usually need point of operation guarding.

Special hand tools for feeding a machine cannot replace required point of operation guards. They only add protection and help workers avoid reaching into danger.

Exposed belts, gears, shafts, pulleys, chains, and other moving parts on construction machinery must be guarded to prevent contact.

Fan blades lower than 7 feet above the floor must be guarded. Guard openings can be no larger than one-half inch.

A construction vehicle with an obstructed rear view needs a reverse signal alarm audible above the noise, or it may back up only when an observer signals it is safe.

Signaling by flaggers, including warning garments, must follow Part 6 of the MUTCD. Crane and hoist signals follow applicable ANSI standards.

Forklifts

Every forklift operator must complete training and an evaluation before driving on their own. The employer must certify each operator was trained and evaluated.

A forklift operator's performance must be evaluated at least once every three years. Refresher training is required if an operator is seen driving unsafely or assigned to a different truck type.

Most counterbalanced forklifts rest on three points: the two front wheels and the pivot pin of the steer axle, forming the stability triangle. If the combined center of gravity moves outside the triangle, the truck may tip over.

Fire and Emergency Safety

Exit routes must be free and unobstructed. No materials or equipment may be placed in them, permanently or temporarily. An exit route door must open from inside at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge.

Exit signs must have the word Exit in plainly legible letters at least 6 inches high, with main strokes at least three-fourths of an inch wide. A door that could be mistaken for an exit must be marked Not an Exit or show its real use.

An emergency action plan must include ways to report emergencies, evacuate, and account for all employees after evacuation. Employers with 10 or fewer employees may communicate the plan orally.

A fire prevention plan must list all major fire hazards, safe handling of hazardous materials, ignition sources and control, and who maintains fire safety equipment. Employers must inform workers about job fire hazards at initial assignment.

Portable fire extinguishers require a monthly visual inspection and an annual maintenance check. The annual maintenance date must be recorded and kept for one year.

Use PASS for fire extinguishers: Pull the pin, Aim low at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep side to side. Back away from a fire you put out in case it flares up again.

Health Hazards and Confined Spaces

The bloodborne pathogens standard protects workers with occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. Employers need an exposure control plan, training, and universal precautions. The hepatitis B vaccine must be offered at no cost to exposed workers.

Under the bloodborne pathogens rule, workers must wash hands immediately or as soon as feasible after removing gloves or other PPE and after contact with blood. Disposable gloves must be replaced as soon as feasible if torn or punctured.

Employers must create a written Exposure Control Plan under the bloodborne pathogens standard, reviewed and updated at least annually and accessible to employees.

A hearing conservation program must start when workers' 8-hour average noise exposure reaches 85 dBA. The permissible exposure limit is 90 dBA averaged over 8 hours. Every 5 dBA louder halves the allowed time.

Each worker's annual hearing test is compared to their own baseline audiogram to catch hearing loss, called a standard threshold shift. Hearing tests in the program are free to the employee.

To prevent heat illness, OSHA encourages water, rest, and shade. New workers need time to get used to the heat. If a coworker in heat is confused and slurring words, cool them right away and call 911, because that may be heat stroke.

OSHA addresses ergonomics hazards under the General Duty Clause. Ergonomics means fitting the job to the person, and controls include using a device to lift heavy objects.

OSHA has no specific workplace violence standard, but recommends a zero-tolerance policy and training. Risk factors include exchanging money with the public and working alone or late at night.

A permit-required confined space may contain a hazardous atmosphere, material that could engulf someone, a shape that could trap someone, or another serious hazard. Air with less than 19.5 percent oxygen is oxygen deficient.

When testing the air in a permit space, test first for oxygen, then combustible gases and vapors, then toxic gases and vapors. In-house permit space rescue teams must practice rescues at least once every 12 months, with at least one rescuer certified in first aid and CPR.