Safety Topics Covered In The OSHA 10 Construction Certification

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has developed a 10-hour-long training program designed to teach personnel working in certain industries about proper safety procedures. There are different courses for different types of worksites, including oil rigs and industrial mills. The OSHA 10 construction program targets workers who operate primarily on a construction site. There is also a 30-hour program available that provides more in-depth coverage of certain topics that are of interest to site inspectors and foremen. The 10-hour course covers a few important topics that are specific to the construction industry.

Personal Safety

Part of the course focuses on the proper techniques that must be employed in order to guarantee personal safety while working. This includes the correct usage of safety gear, like gloves, goggles and ear protection. Participants learn about material handling, so that chemicals and flammable substances can be moved and employed safely without risk of personal injury. There are some lessons that teach workers about the specific risks involved in construction, such as the correct handling of electrical wiring and other power systems. An individual who receives the OSHA 10 construction certification card is capable of making informed decisions about personal safety without additional guidance.

Worksite Safety

Many of the topics that are covered involve maintaining a construction worksite where every worker is acting in a safe and responsible way towards co-workers. One important area that is discussed is communication. Effective communications between employees reduces the chance that actions in the vicinity of another person will result in confusion or surprise that triggers an accident. This extends into the realm of personal responsibility while on a worksite. Participants are taught to remove obstacles, store equipment safely and follow standard OSHA guidelines for safety so that someone who enters a work area is not put at risk because of dangerous equipment or materials left in a precarious state.

Safe Equipment Usage

Construction equipment is exceptionally safe when it is used correctly by trained individuals. The OSHA 10 construction certification goes beyond this basic training to teach participants how to operate the machinery in a way that protects the operator, co-workers and bystanders who might be passing near the worksite. A diverse range of equipment is covered from ladders and scaffoldings to cranes and welding gear. There is also some training about how to avoid injury when working in the wake of large pieces of equipment. This includes fall protection when around scaffoldings, as well as the correct way to deal with movement along excavated surfaces.