Does OSHA 10 Expire?

If you're job hunting in certain states or within certain industries, you'll see job listings that say "Must have up-to-date OSHA 10 Training ." Sometimes they'll call this a "DOL card," because the Department of Labor (DOL) issues plastic wallet cards you can use as proof of training.

So, what is OSHA 10 and how long does it stay "up to date"?

What Is OSHA 10 Training?

OSHA 10 is a 10-hour, entry-level OSHA Outreach course that builds baseline awareness of common jobsite hazards and how to prevent them. There are multiple versions, including Construction and General Industry, so workers learn safety concepts tailored to their work environment.

OSHA 10 training is delivered by OSHA-authorized trainers online or in person, spans a minimum of 10 instructional hours, and typically includes module quizzes and a final assessment.

Upon finishing the course, participants receive a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) card that many employers recognize for site access.

What's the Right Type of OSHA 10 Training For Me?

OSHA's Outreach courses are divided into a few categories by the type of work, also known as "industries." You need to make sure you take the right type. OSHA designed its Outreach Training Program to be consistent but flexible, which means trainers have to cover certain topics, but they can pick and choose with others.

There are a few different categories of OSHA 10 training:

OSHA 10 Construction covers core construction hazards and controls, and OSHA 10 General Industry, which covers every other type of work.

General Industry tends to be the trickiest for picking the right curriculum because it can be tailored for so many different jobs. Most focus on manufacturing and various industrial work, but you can find courses designed for others, like healthcare workers.

If you need a course, especially in General Industry, pay attention to the topics covered. OSHA 10 training will be most valuable if it focuses on safety concerns relevant to you.

Is OSHA 10 Required?

That depends.

OSHA considers its Outreach Training to be voluntary. By themselves, Outreach courses don't fulfill an employer's safety and health training obligations, though, in practical terms, they give a head start.

Certain jurisdictions and employers, however, will require a DOL card. This is actually why the Outreach Program exists. Bureaucrats wanted a clear-cut standard for safety training they could set as a minimum requirement.

In terms of state or local regulations, OSHA 10 mandates are almost exclusively in the construction industry. The biggest exception is that Nevada requires all entertainment industry workers to get an OSHA 10 General Industry card.

Even when a DOL card isn't legally required, your employer may make it a hiring requirement or give hiring preference to candidates with OSHA Outreach course completion.

Why and Where is OSHA 10 Required for Construction?

Legal requirements for OSHA 10 Construction make sense because the construction and demolition industry is one of the most dangerous in the U.S.

The construction industry employs only 5-7% of the U.S. workforce, but it accounts for 20% of worker deaths. This comes out to over 1000 a year. Injury and illness rates are also significantly higher than the workforce average, and that's after a quarter of construction workers admit they've failed to report a work-related injury for the official stats.

Only a few jurisdictions, like Nevada and Philadelphia, require OSHA 10 outright for all construction workers. Usually, this requirement is tied to public works funding. Contractors have to provide proof that all workers have completed OSHA 10.

Often, the requirement only kicks in for projects over a certain value. A $100,000 minimum is popular. That's the threshold in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. New York State and West Virginia have even higher minimums, while in Massachusetts, the minimum is just $10,000. States such as Missouri have no minimum at all. If a project has any public funding, the requirement stands.

Then there are the oddballs. Miami-Dade County in Florida requires OSHA 10 training on any contract (public or private) worth over $1 million. New York City used to require a DOL card, but they now require their own 40-hour training for any project bigger than a 3-family home.

The only way to know for sure if OSHA 10 is required for you is to check with local employers or search for relevant laws in your state, county, or city. These laws change all the time, so we're just giving examples.

How Long Does OSHA 10 Last?

Does OSHA 10 expire? Technically, no. Federal DOL cards don't carry a printed expiration date, and OSHA itself doesn't require Outreach graduates to retrain.

That said, most of the parties that require an OSHA 10 card in the first place, such as state and local governments, or individual employers, set their own renewal window on top of it. Three to five years is the most common standard. Connecticut, Nevada, Miami-Dade County, and Philadelphia, for example, all call for a refresher roughly every five years to keep a card valid for jobsite use.

So when does OSHA 10 expire in practice? The card itself never does, but if your job, state, or contract requires OSHA 10, check that specific rule for its renewal timeline. That's the date that actually matters.

Does an OSHA 30 Card Expire?

Like the 10-hour course, OSHA 30 cards issued by the Department of Labor don't carry a federal expiration date. The same employer and jurisdiction expectations apply, though, supervisors are typically expected to retake the course every three to five years to stay compliant on job sites that require it.

If you're weighing similar questions about longer safety courses, some workers ask the same thing about OSHA 40. You can learn more in our other blog on OSHA 40 expiration .

Get Your OSHA Outreach Training with OSHA.com

Whether you're taking OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 for the first time, or your employer or local jurisdiction requires you to retake the course, OSHA.com offers convenient online OSHA Outreach Training to help you meet those requirements.

OSHA does not provide Outreach Training directly to workers. Instead, OSHA-authorized Outreach Training courses are delivered by OSHA-authorized trainers through authorized providers.

We offer OSHA 10-Hour and OSHA 30-Hour Outreach Training in both Construction and General Industry. Upon successful completion, learners receive an official U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) card. If you work in New York City, we also offer NYC Site Safety Training (SST) courses to help meet applicable construction training requirements.

Ready to get started? Explore our full range of online safety courses and register today.