What OSH training must employers provide to workers in the United States?

US employers must give the training each applicable OSHA standard requires, at the times that standard sets. There is no general training regulation with fixed hours for every worker, as in Türkiye; instead training duties are spread across many standards, and the employer must work out which ones apply to each job.

Short answer

• Task-based duties: each standard defines who must be trained, on what, and when (initial, annual, or on change).
• Typical intervals: hazard communication at initial assignment and when a new hazard is introduced; hearing conservation and respiratory protection annually; forklift operators evaluated at least every 3 years; process safety refresher at least every 3 years; HAZWOPER 8 hours every year.
• Construction: every employee must be instructed in recognising and avoiding unsafe conditions and in the rules for the work environment (1926.21(b)(2)).
• Language: OSHA states that workers have the right to training in a language they understand.
• OSHA 10 and 30-hour Outreach cards: voluntary under federal law, but some states, municipalities and clients require them.

The main training duties by standard

OSHA's publication Training Requirements in OSHA Standards (OSHA 2254) lists them all. The ones that apply in most industrial plants are:

Training must be effective: under the PPE standard, for example, each worker must demonstrate understanding and the ability to use the equipment before doing the work, and retraining is required when the employer has reason to believe the worker lacks that understanding.

Records and proof

Some standards require written certification of training, for example lockout/tagout (names and dates) and forklifts (name, training and evaluation dates, and the trainer or evaluator). The general PPE standard requires a written certification of the hazard assessment, not of the training. Even where none is required, records answer the inspector's first question after an accident: was this worker trained for this job? California requires training records to be kept for at least one year under its Injury and Illness Prevention Program rule.

Compared with the EU and Türkiye

The EU Framework Directive requires adequate safety and health training for every worker, on recruitment, transfer, new equipment or technology, repeated periodically where needed. Türkiye's Law No. 6331 Art. 17 adds national rules, and its training regulation sets minimum hours by hazard class and renewal periods. The US has no such universal minimum; the duty follows the hazard and the standard.

Common mistakes

• Treating the OSHA 10-hour card as compliance. OSHA states that the Outreach course does not meet the training requirements of any standard.
• Training once and forgetting the cycle. Annual and 3-yearly intervals are fixed by the standards.
• Training only in English. Training must be understood by the worker.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in United States: law, authorities and employer duties
• Is OSHA 10 or 30-hour training mandatory?
• How often must forklift operators be re-evaluated under OSHA?
• Respiratory protection programme and fit testing

Standards and further reading

• OSHA 2254, Training Requirements in OSHA Standards (2015): https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/osha2254.pdf
• OSHA Outreach Training Program: https://www.osha.gov/training/outreach
• 29 CFR 1910.132 PPE, 1910.134 respiratory protection, 1910.147 hazardous energy, 1910.178 powered industrial trucks: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.178

This article is general occupational safety and health information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable legislation, standards, manufacturers' instructions or the assessment of a competent OSH professional or occupational physician.