How Long Is OSHA 30 Good For?

If you’ve been asked to get a “DOL card” or upgrade your existing one, you may need to complete an OSHA 30 training course.

Below, we’re answering all your questions related to OSHA 30 cards. What are they? Who needs them? Are they required? How long do they last? And where do you go to get one?

What Is OSHA 30? 

OSHA 30 is a supervisor-level OSHA Outreach course. The course for regular workers is called OSHA 10.

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, the most common of which are Construction and General Industry.

OSHA Outreach courses do not fulfill an employer's safety training obligations by themselves, but they provide a primer in workplace safety that is used as a minimum standard by some employers and state or local governments.  

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 training 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 the standards for everyone they supervise. There is also special instruction on managing safety and health.

When Is OSHA 30-Hour Training Required? 

OSHA considers Outreach Training to be optional, but there are other cases – especially for Construction – where holding an OSHA 30 card is required by law, regulation, or employer policy.

At the federal level, OSHA 30-Hour Training can be used to fulfill a regulatory requirement for minimum safety officer training on military and federal construction projects. These projects don’t fall under OSHA’s jurisdiction; instead, they fall under stricter EM 385-1-1 safety standards. Additionally, private employers bidding for federal contractors may also require an OSHA 30 card for all employees – it’s not a regulatory requirement, but employers can use it as evidence that they have higher safety standards than competitors. 

Additionally, state or local governments may have their own DOL card requirements.

The only broad requirements for General Industry cards exist in Nevada. Supervisory workers in the entertainment and cannabis industries need an OSHA 30 General Industry card, while non-supervisory workers require OSHA 10.

Broad requirements for OSHA 30 Construction cards are a bit more common. They’re mandatory for:

• All New York City construction personnel (regardless of status) on any projects bigger than a 3-family home (as a component of the city’s Site Safety Training program).
• All construction supervisors in Philadelphia, including those working for construction, demolition, and home improvement contractors. Major projects require someone with OSHA 30 training to be on-site at all times. Non-supervisory Philadelphia construction workers just need OSHA 10.
• All construction supervisors in the state of Nevada. OSHA 10 is required for all other Nevada construction workers.

It’s more common for a state or local government to tie DOL card requirements to specific project types. At least five states (including Massachusetts and New York State) have DOL card requirements on public works over a certain budget threshold, while at least two (Missouri and Rhode Island) require it for all publicly funded projects. Miami-Dade County has a DOL card requirement for all high-budget projects, regardless of funding source. 

In all cases with these provisional requirements, only OSHA 10 Construction is explicitly required by law. OSHA 30 is typically considered optional by the regulation but accepted – and probably expected – as a substitute to give supervisors a higher level of training. 

While DOL cards aren’t mandatory for all construction workers in jurisdictions with project-specific requirements, it’s worth noting that these laws tend to cause ripple effects by raising the local standard for construction resumes. Construction employers may require or prefer candidates who already hold the right level of training.

Finally, in some cases, OSHA 30 card requirements aren’t always legal. They may be a matter of employer preference. Private employers in high-risk industries require it, either as a hiring requirement or as part of their worker training program.