OSHA Safety Basics for Security Officers: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: OSHA and the law

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the OSH Act) sets the basic duties of employers and workers. Section 5 says:

• 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause: employers must keep the workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
• 5(a)(2): employers must follow OSHA standards.
• 5(b): each employee must follow the safety rules that apply to their own actions.

Federal OSHA and State Plans

Some states run their own OSHA-approved State Plan, which must be at least as effective as federal OSHA. OSHA lists 22 State Plans that cover both private and public sector workers, including California, Washington and Michigan. 7 more cover only state and local government workers: Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In those places, and in states with no plan such as Texas and Florida, federal OSHA covers most private employers, including security companies.

Training is not a license

OSHA says its Outreach Training Program (the 10-hour and 30-hour courses) is voluntary and not a certification, though some states or employers may require it. This course is not an Outreach course and gives no OSHA card. It does not replace the training your employer must give under OSHA standards, or your state's guard license training.

Lesson 2: Your rights and how to use them

OSHA says workers have the right to:

• Work in a place free from known dangers
• Get safety training in a language they understand
• Get required safety gear
• Report injuries and see injury and illness records
• Ask OSHA to inspect and speak with the inspector
• Use these rights without retaliation

Employers must display the OSHA workplace poster where workers can easily see it. It explains these rights.

Reporting a hazard

Tell your employer first if you can. You can also call OSHA at 1-800-321-6742 (1-800-321-OSHA), file online, or contact your local OSHA or State Plan office. Complaints can be confidential. If you are punished for using your rights, you can file a whistleblower complaint within 30 days.

Refusing dangerous work

You may have a legal right to refuse only when all of these are true: you asked the employer to fix the danger, if possible; you believe in good faith there is an imminent danger; a reasonable person would agree there is a real risk of death or serious injury; and there is no time to fix it through normal channels. Tell your employer you will not do the work until it is fixed, and stay at the worksite until your employer orders you to leave.

Lesson 3: Common hazards on patrol

Slips, trips and falls

OSHA's walking-working surfaces rule (29 CFR 1910.22) says surfaces must be kept free of hazards such as spills, snow and ice. A hazard must be fixed or guarded before workers use the surface. Report it and block it off if your post orders allow.

Exit routes

Most workplaces need at least two exit routes. Workers must be able to open an exit route door from the inside without keys, tools or special knowledge, and exit routes must be kept free of materials and equipment (29 CFR 1910.36 and 1910.37).

Heat

OSHA promotes water, rest and shade. New workers need time to build heat tolerance, so shorter shifts and more breaks help in the first days. Confusion or slurred speech can mean heat stroke: cool the worker right away and call 911. California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Minnesota have their own heat rules.

Workplace violence

OSHA defines workplace violence as any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening behavior at work. Risk factors include exchanging money with the public, working alone or in isolated areas, and working late at night or in high-crime areas. There is no specific federal OSHA standard for it. Some states go further: since July 1, 2024, California's Labor Code section 6401.9 requires covered employers to have a written workplace violence prevention plan and a violent incident log.

Lesson 4: PPE and chemicals

Under OSHA's PPE rule (29 CFR 1910.132), the employer must:

1. Assess the workplace for hazards and certify the assessment in writing.
2. Choose PPE that protects against those hazards and fits each worker.
3. Train workers on when PPE is needed, what to wear, how to put it on and take it off, its limits, and its care and disposal.
4. Provide required PPE at no cost, with a few exceptions.

Damaged or defective PPE must not be used. Report torn gloves or cracked eye protection and get a replacement.

Chemicals

OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires a written program, labels on containers of hazardous chemicals, and safety data sheets readily available during each work shift in the work area. Training happens when you start and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced.

Lesson 5: Bloodborne pathogens

Security officers who give first aid or handle sharps may have occupational exposure: reasonably expected contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials. OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) then requires:

Lesson 6: Emergencies and injury reporting

OSHA's emergency action plan rule (29 CFR 1910.38) applies when another OSHA standard requires a plan. It says the plan must cover how to report emergencies, how to evacuate, how to account for all employees, and who to contact. It must be in writing, but an employer with 10 or fewer employees may share it by word of mouth. The employer reviews the plan with you when you are first assigned, when your duties under it change and when the plan changes.

Where portable fire extinguishers are provided for employees to use, OSHA requires training when you are hired and at least once a year after that (29 CFR 1910.157). Extinguishers get a visual check every month and a maintenance check every year.

Reporting serious injuries

Report every injury to your employer. Under 29 CFR 1904.39, the employer must report:

• A work-related death within 8 hours
• An in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours

Reports go to the nearest OSHA office, to 1-800-321-OSHA, or online.