No one wants to sit through a long workplace safety training more often than they have to, but refreshers are important for keeping concepts fresh in your mind.

If you’ve earned an OSHA 30 card in the past, you’re probably wondering how long OSHA 30 lasts and when you have to take it again. We’ve got the answers you need!

What is OSHA 30? 

OSHA 30 is a supervisor-level OSHA Outreach course. OSHA Outreach courses are programs designed to introduce workers to their basic rights and protections under OSHA and give them initial awareness training on common safety topics for their industry. 

For non-supervisory workers, the 10-hour course is typically recommended.

OSHA Outreach courses do not fulfill an employer's safety training obligations by themselves. Additional training is needed for full OSHA compliance.  

Since OSHA Outreach courses come with a durable plastic wallet card upon completion, issued by the Department of Labor (DOL), a completed OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 course is sometimes referred to as a "DOL card."  

Who Should Take OSHA 30? 

What is OSHA 30 certification good for? The course can be beneficial to any worker in a high-risk (or even medium-risk) industry as long as it covers topics relevant to your job.  

However, it's designed for workers with supervisory responsibilities. OSHA 30 provides more instructional time than OSHA 10 so that supervisors understand more safety hazards and standards for everyone underneath them. 

However, OSHA 30 is optional for most U.S. workers in medium- and high-risk industries.  

When Is OSHA 30-Hour Training Required? 

Private employers in high-risk industries sometimes require an OSHA 30 card, either as a hiring requirement or as part of their worker training program. Many federal contractors require an OSHA 30 card due to the heightened safety training requirements on military and other government projects.  

It's rare for OSHA 30 to be required by law and regulation. Safety officers for military and federal projects must have one, but where it's required, it's usually by a state or local government instead. 

For example, Nevada state law requires a few types of workers to have a DOL card: 

• Nevada construction workers need OSHA 10 Construction (OSHA 30 for supervisory workers) 
• Nevada entertainment workers need OSHA 10 General Industry (OSHA 30 for supervisory workers) 
• Nevada cannabis workers need OSHA 10 General Industry (OSHA 30 for supervisory workers) 

Sometimes, the requirements are at the city level. 

Philadelphia requires all licensed contractors to employ at least one supervisory worker with a recent OSHA 30 Construction card (and on certain projects, such a person needs to provide continuous oversight of the work). Plus, workers need OSHA 10. 

For almost all construction, New York City has its own (more stringent) safety training program known as NYC Site Safety Training (SST), but OSHA 30 Construction is an important part. 

Finally, some jurisdictions only require OSHA 10 Construction by law (and sometimes only for certain types of projects). In these cases, OSHA 30 is optional but explicitly accepted as a substitute so that supervisors can take on a higher level of training. 

How Long Does It Take to Complete OSHA 30? 

OSHA 30 is named as such because 30 reflects the length of the training. OSHA requires 30 full hours of instructional time, not counting breaks, tests, travel, or administrative tasks like attendance.  

One of the benefits of taking an online OSHA 30 course is that you can spend more time with the material if you want or need it. However, due to OSHA's requirement, you will have to sit through at least 30 instructional hours. Computer-based courses have a timer to ensure you meet this requirement. 

There's another factor for how long an OSHA 30 course will take. Since it's regulated by federal labor law, breaks are required, and there are limits on the number of hours per day you can train – even if you're taking the course online.  

Students can spend a max of 7.5 hours with the course material per day (instructional time), and there have to be at least 8 hours between long sessions. Obviously, you'll usually have more than eight, but that's the minimum. 

That means an OSHA 30 course has to be spread out over at least 4 days.  

Now that you know how long it takes to earn an OSHA 30 card, your next question is probably, 'How long does OSHA 30 last'?

Do OSHA 30 Cards Expire? 

According to OSHA, no. Then again, they don’t consider it mandatory to begin with.  

OSHA 30 expiration really depends on where you work and why you need the training in the first place.  

So, How Long Is an OSHA 30 Certification Good For? 

You need to ask your employer or check local law for when your OSHA 30 card expires. It varies a lot. 

If you need OSHA 30 to comply with Nevada law, for example, you're one and done. Legally, OSHA 30 never expires. However, individual employers may want you to repeat the training periodically so it's fresh on your mind. 

Other jurisdictions set a specific OSHA 30 renewal period. A 5-year expiration period is common – that's the case in Philadelphia, New York City, and several of the jurisdictions that accept OSHA 30 to fulfill local training requirements. 

When OSHA 30 is not a regulatory requirement, just one held by your employer, they'll set their own policies. It never hurts to ask. 

Does My OSHA 30 Card Have an Expiration Date? 

Since OSHA 30 expiration depends on jurisdiction and employer (and either one can change their requirement at any time), it would be nearly impossible for the DOL to put an accurate expiration on your wallet card. 

As a result, OSHA 30 cards have no expiration date written on them; they are just issuance dates. In cases where a required DOL card does expire, you have to use the issuance date to figure out when it’s time to take an OSHA 30 renewal course. 

Get Your OSHA 30 Card Here 

As a long-time OSHA-authorized training provider, we offer convenient, self-paced online versions of OSHA 10 and 30 Construction or General Industry – even en español. 

Register today!