OSHA 10 Hour Training – The Difference Between Construction and General Industry – Which Is Best?

OSHA – the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration – has created two different versions of the OSHA 10 Hour Card program to cover the most dangerous situations workers in the U.S. face.

As a result, OSHA has created two OSHA Training categories for the OSHA 10 hour online card program: 1) A specific OSHA 10 Hour Construction Course, and 2) A General Industry course program for all other industries. You can earn your 10 hour card online through an OSHA accepted provider.

The OSHA Construction Program

This is by far the most popular version of the OSHA 10 hour card programs. To be accepted by OSHA, the OSHA training program must cover the following topics:

• Introduction to OSHA including the OSH Act
• General Health and Safety Provisions
• Hazard Communication
• Hazardous Materials
• Rigging and Cranes
• Electric Safety Issues
• Struck- By and Caught in Between
• Fall Protection
• PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
• Power tools and Hand tools
• Scaffolding
• Ladders & Stairway Safety

The General Industry Program

This 10 hour card program covers all industries other than construction. This necessitates that the topics be broader in nature and touch on the top few most important areas for multiple industries.

To be accepted by OSHA, the General Industry program needs to cover:

• Introduction: OSHA & the OSH Act
• Walking and Working Surfaces
• Action Plan for Emergencies
• Hazardous Materials
• PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
• Machine Guarding Safety
• Electric Safety Issues
• Hazard Communication
• Industrial Hygiene & Hazardous Substances
• Safety and Health Programs

Common Areas of the Two OSHA 10-Hour Card Programs

You will see by the list of topics, above, that there is some overlap in the course outline for the two different versions of the OSHA Programs. These areas include Introduction to OSHA, PPE, Hazard Communication and hazardous materials. However, even in these areas, a good course will use different examples, language and images for the covered material to appeal to the student/worker. Remember that the General Industry course needs to cover a broader range of industries and issues: a good course will use the course material to appeal to a broad range of workers.

Which Course Should You Take?

In most cases, the right course to choose is obvious. If the worker is in the construction industry, they take the OSHA 10 Hour Card program for construction, if not; they need the General Industry version. The most common cause of confusion is the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing falls under the general industry version of the card program. Always look for the words “OSHA Accepted” associated with either version of the course. This means that OSHA has reviewed the material and has accepted it for online distribution.

OSHA 10-Hour Card Summary

OSHA has created two different programs to cover the worker’s faces in the American workplace. The OSHA 10 Hour Online Card Program for the Construction Industry focuses specifically on the safety issues involved in construction. The OSHA 10 Hour Card program for General Industry covers all other industries except for construction. If necessary, check with your General Contractor, insurance agency or state agency to make sure you take the right course and always look for the OSHA Accepted indicator for online courses.

The SafetyOnlineNetwork provides OSHA-accepted online courses to help companies and individuals earn their OSHA card quickly, at their own pace and through a course updated with the latest OSHA requirements. Learn more about the OSHA 10 hour construction safety course or the OSHA 30-hour courses by clicking on the links to see a detailed description of the course.