OSHA 10 Construction Study Guide 2026

The OSHA 10 course and card

The OSHA 10-hour Construction course is part of OSHA's Outreach Training Program. It teaches construction workers about their rights, employer responsibilities, how to file a complaint, and how to spot, avoid and prevent common job hazards.

• The program is voluntary and is not a certification. It does not meet the training requirements of any OSHA standard.
• Some states, cities and employers require the card as a condition of employment.
• An OSHA-authorized trainer or online provider teaches the course and issues the DOL course completion card. OSHA does not issue cards directly.
• Trainers have 90 days after the course to issue cards.
• A card cannot be issued or replaced if the course was completed more than 5 years ago.
• The 30-hour course is for supervisors or workers with some safety responsibility.

What the 10-hour course must include

Elective topics include scaffolds, stairways and ladders, excavations, cranes, tools, fire protection, confined spaces, ergonomics, welding and cutting, and more. The total course is at least 10 hours.

OSHA, your rights and your employer's duties

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created OSHA. Under the General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), employers must keep the workplace free of serious recognized hazards, even if no specific standard covers the hazard. Employers must also follow OSHA's standards, such as the construction standards in 29 CFR 1926.

Your rights as a worker

• Work in a safe place, on machines that are safe.
• Get required safety equipment, such as a harness and lifeline for falls.
• Get training in a language you understand.
• Be protected from toxic chemicals.
• File a confidential complaint and ask for an OSHA inspection, and speak to the inspector.
• Report an injury or illness, get copies of your medical records, and review records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
• See the results of tests done to find hazards.
• Be protected from retaliation. If you are punished for using your rights, file a complaint within 30 days.

Refusing dangerous work

You may have a legal right to refuse work when all of these are true: the condition clearly presents a risk of death or serious physical harm; there is not enough time for OSHA to inspect; and, where possible, you have told your employer about it.

Employer reporting and PPE

• Report a work-related fatality to OSHA within 8 hours.
• Report an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours.
• Pay for the PPE that OSHA standards require, with few exceptions.

Focus Four: falls

Falls are the leading cause of death in construction. In construction, workers on a walking or working surface with an unprotected side or edge 6 feet or more above a lower level must be protected by a guardrail system, a safety net system or a personal fall arrest system (1926.501).

Common fall hazards include unprotected edges, floor and roof holes, skylights, ladders and scaffolds. Plan the work before you start: decide how workers will be protected, make sure the equipment is on site, and make sure everyone knows how to use it.

Guardrails and covers

• Top rail: 42 inches, plus or minus 3 inches, above the walking/working level.
• The top rail must withstand at least 200 pounds of force.
• Midrails go halfway between the top rail and the walking surface.
• Toeboards must be at least 3½ inches high.
• Hole covers must hold at least twice the weight they may carry, be secured, and be marked "HOLE" or "COVER".

Personal fall arrest systems

• Rig the system so you cannot free fall more than 6 feet or hit a lower level.
• Anchorages must hold at least 5,000 pounds per worker attached, unless designed by a qualified person.
• Inspect the harness and lanyard before each use.
• After a fall, remove the equipment from service until a competent person inspects it.

Scaffolds

• Workers on a scaffold more than 10 feet above a lower level need fall protection.
• A competent person must inspect the scaffold before each work shift and after anything that could affect it.
• Each scaffold must support its own weight and at least 4 times the maximum intended load.
• Scaffolds may only be erected, moved, dismantled or altered under the supervision of a competent person.
• Use base plates and mud sills. Never use loose bricks or concrete blocks to support a scaffold.

Ladders and stairways

A stairway or ladder must be provided at points of access where there is a break in elevation of 19 inches or more (1926.1051). For portable ladders (1926.1053):

• When used to reach an upper landing, the side rails must extend at least 3 feet above the landing.
• Set a non-self-supporting ladder at a 4-to-1 angle: the base is about one-quarter of the working length away from the wall.
• Never use the top or top step of a stepladder as a step.
• Face the ladder when climbing up or down.
• Keep at least one hand on the ladder while climbing, and do not carry loads that could make you lose balance.
• Use ladders with nonconductive side rails where you or the ladder could contact energized electrical equipment.
• A competent person must inspect ladders periodically. A defective ladder must be tagged "Do Not Use" and taken out of service until repaired.

Focus Four: electrocution

Electrocution happens when the body becomes part of an electrical circuit. Common causes on site are contact with overhead power lines, damaged tools and cords, and working on live circuits.

Warning signs of an electrical problem include tools that spark or feel hot, cords that are frayed or cut, and breakers that keep tripping. Stop and report them.

• Use ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). They cut power fast when current leaks to ground. Construction sites must use GFCIs or an assured equipment grounding conductor program (1926.404).
• Inspect tools and cords before use. Take damaged cords and tools out of service.
• Never use a plug with a missing ground prong.
• Assume every overhead power line is energized. OSHA's crane rules set a minimum clearance of 10 feet for lines up to 50 kV, and more for higher voltages.
• Before working on electrical equipment, make sure it is de-energized and locked or tagged out.
• Be extra careful in wet conditions, and use tools rated for them.

Focus Four: struck-by

Struck-by injuries happen when a worker is hit by a moving vehicle, a falling or flying object, or a swinging load.

• Wear high-visibility clothing near traffic and moving equipment.
• Never stand or walk under a suspended load, and stay out of barricaded swing areas.
• Vehicles with an obstructed rear view must have a working reverse alarm or an observer who signals when it is safe to back up (1926.601).
• Prevent falling objects with toeboards, screens and tool lanyards. Keep materials away from edges.
• Wear a hard hat where there is a danger of head injury (1926.100) and eye or face protection where flying particles or chemicals could cause injury (1926.102).

Focus Four: caught-in or -between

Caught-in or -between hazards crush or trap workers. Examples are trench cave-ins, being pulled into machinery, and being pinned between equipment and a wall.

Trenching and excavation

OSHA says cave-ins pose the greatest risk to workers' lives in trenching. Protect workers by sloping or benching the walls, shoring them with supports, or shielding workers with trench boxes.

• A competent person must inspect excavations daily, before work starts and after every rainstorm or other event that could increase hazards. If a hazard is found, workers must get out until it is fixed.
• Locate underground utilities before digging. In the U.S., call 811 so utilities can mark their lines.
• Never work underneath loads handled by lifting or digging equipment.

OSHA defines a competent person as someone who can identify existing and predictable hazards and who has the authority to take prompt action to eliminate them.

Machines and equipment

• Keep guards in place on gears, belts and other moving parts. Never remove or bypass them.
• Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry near moving parts.
• Never position yourself between moving equipment and a fixed object, and stay out of the swing area of excavators and cranes.

Personal protective equipment

PPE is the last line of defense, used when other controls cannot remove the hazard. Under 1926.95, PPE must be provided, used and maintained wherever hazards make it necessary, and the employer generally pays for it.

• Head: hard hats where there is a danger of head injury.
• Eyes and face: safety glasses, goggles or face shields for flying particles, chemicals or welding.
• Hearing: earplugs or earmuffs when noise is too high.
• Hands and feet: gloves suited to the task and protective footwear.
• Breathing: respirators when air contaminants cannot be controlled. Tight-fitting respirators need a medical evaluation and a fit test.
• Visibility: high-visibility vests near traffic and equipment.
• Falls: a full-body harness as part of a personal fall arrest system.

Check your PPE before every use and replace anything worn or broken.

The hierarchy of controls

The best way to control a hazard is to remove it. Work down this list and use PPE for the risk that is left:

1. Elimination: remove the hazard, for example by doing work on the ground instead of at height.
2. Substitution: use something less hazardous.
3. Engineering controls: guardrails, machine guards, water sprays and dust collectors.
4. Administrative controls: safe work procedures, training, signs and work schedules.
5. PPE: protects only the person wearing it, and only when it fits and is worn correctly.

Health hazards and hazard communication

Noise, silica and heat

• OSHA's construction noise limit is 90 dBA for an 8-hour day (1926.52). Above that, noise must be controlled and hearing protection used.
• The construction silica standard (1926.1153) sets a limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over 8 hours. Cutting, grinding and drilling concrete or stone makes silica dust. Use water or a vacuum dust collection system on the tool, not dry sweeping or compressed air.
• For heat, OSHA's message is water, rest and shade. Heat stroke is a medical emergency: call 911.

Hazard communication (HazCom)

Chemical containers must have labels, and safety data sheets (SDSs) must be available. A HazCom label shows six things: product identifier, signal word, hazard statements, pictograms, precautionary statements and supplier information. The signal word is "Danger" for more severe hazards or "Warning" for less severe ones. SDSs use a standard 16-section format.

Pictograms are symbols on a white background framed in a red border:

Study tips

• Know the Focus Four and one way to prevent each.
• Learn the key numbers: 6 feet, 10 feet, 19 inches, 3 feet, 4-to-1, 42 inches, 200 pounds, 5,000 pounds, 5 feet, 20 feet, 25 feet, 2 feet.
• Know your rights, the 30-day retaliation deadline and the 8-hour and 24-hour reporting rules.
• Learn the HazCom label elements and what each pictogram means.
• When in doubt, choose the answer that removes the hazard or keeps people away from it.