OSHA 30 — Construction

Exam blueprint

Sourced from OSHA Outreach Training Program 30-Hour Construction Procedures (Revised 04-01-2024)

• Introduction to OSHA7%
• Managing Safety and Health7%
• Focus Four — Falls8%
• Focus Four — Electrocution8%
• Focus Four — Caught-In/Between5%
• Focus Four — Struck-By5%
• Personal Protective & Lifesaving Equipment7%
• Health Hazards in Construction7%
• Stairways and Ladders4%
• Cranes, Derricks, Hoists, Elevators, Conveyors4%
• Excavations4%
• Fire Protection and Prevention4%
• Materials Handling, Storage, Use, Disposal4%
• Scaffolds5%
• Tools — Hand and Power4%
• Concrete and Masonry Construction4%
• Steel Erection4%
• Industry-Specific Topics9%

1. 01Introduction to OSHA

   ~90min

   How OSHA exists, what it can do, and what your rights are as a construction worker. Foundational knowledge that frames everything else in the 30-hour.

   • OSHA mission and creation

     The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) created OSHA — the agency inside the U.S. Department of Labor responsible for ensuring safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education, and assistance. OSHA covers most private-sector employers and their workers, plus some public-sector workers, in all 50 states and certain territories under federal authority or an OSHA-approved State Plan.

     Reference: 29 CFR Part 1903 · read the standard ↗

   • Your rights as a worker

     Workers have the right to: a workplace that does not have known hazards; receive information and training about workplace hazards; review records of work-related injuries and illnesses; file a complaint with OSHA to inspect their workplace; and exercise their rights under the law without retaliation. Whistleblower protection applies — your employer cannot fire, demote, or punish you for reporting a safety concern to OSHA.

     Reference: OSH Act §11(c) 29 U.S.C. 660(c)

   • Your employer's responsibilities

     Employers must: provide a workplace free from recognized hazards; comply with OSHA standards; provide required PPE at no cost to the worker; train workers in a language they understand; keep accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses; post the OSHA poster; and report any worker fatality within 8 hours, and any inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss within 24 hours.

     Reference: OSH Act §5(a)(1) General Duty Clause

   Practice questions (2)

   1. 1. A worker reports a missing guardrail to OSHA. The next day, their employer fires them. Which protection applies?

      • A.None — at-will employment overrides safety reports
      • B.OSH Act §11(c) anti-retaliation (whistleblower) protection✓ correct
      • C.NLRA collective-bargaining only
      • D.State unemployment insurance only

      OSH Act §11(c) makes it illegal to fire, demote, or otherwise retaliate against a worker for reporting a safety concern to OSHA. At-will employment does not override this. NLRA covers union activity; UI is a separate post-termination benefit, not a protection against the firing itself.

   2. 2. Within how many hours must an employer report a worker fatality to OSHA?

      • A.4 hours
      • B.8 hours✓ correct
      • C.24 hours
      • D.72 hours

      Worker fatalities must be reported to OSHA within 8 hours of when the employer learns of them. Inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, and loss of an eye are reported within 24 hours.

2. 02Focus Four — Falls

   ~90min

   Falls are the #1 killer in construction. Master fall-protection thresholds, system selection, and competent-person duties before anything else.

   • The 6-foot fall-protection trigger

     Construction workers exposed to a fall of 6 feet or more to a lower level must be protected by a guardrail, safety net, or personal fall-arrest system (PFAS). The trigger drops to 4 feet for general industry, but on a construction site you will use 6 feet. Hoist areas, holes, and unprotected sides/edges all count as fall hazards regardless of the work being performed.

     Reference: 29 CFR 1926.501

   • Personal fall-arrest system (PFAS) anatomy

     A PFAS is the harness, lanyard, anchor, and connectors that arrest a free fall. Anchors must support 5,000 lb per attached worker (or be designed by a qualified person with a 2:1 safety factor). Free-fall distance is limited to 6 feet, total fall distance (free fall + deceleration + harness stretch) must not let a worker contact a lower level. After any fall, the system components are removed from service until inspected by a competent person.

     Reference: 29 CFR 1926.502(d)

   • The "competent person" role

     A competent person is someone capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and authorized to take prompt corrective action. For fall protection, the competent person inspects all fall-protection equipment before each use, supervises rescue planning, and evaluates anchor selection. The role is recurring on a construction site — many activities require one.

     Reference: 29 CFR 1926.32(f)

   Practice questions (2)

   1. 1. On a residential framing job, a worker is installing roof sheathing 9 feet above the next lower level. Fall protection is required?

      • A.No — residential work is exempt
      • B.No — under 10 feet does not trigger protection
      • C.Yes — 6 feet is the construction trigger✓ correct
      • D.Yes — only because of the roof slope

      Construction fall-protection at 1926.501 triggers at 6 feet to a lower level. Residential framing is NOT exempt; OSHA withdrew the residential-construction directive years ago. Roof slope changes which system you may use, but it does not change the trigger height.

   2. 2. Anchor strength requirement for a single-worker personal fall-arrest system?

      • A.500 lb
      • B.1,800 lb
      • C.5,000 lb✓ correct
      • D.Whatever the manufacturer label says

      1926.502(d)(15) requires anchors to support at least 5,000 lb per attached worker, or be designed and used as part of a complete PFAS engineered by a qualified person with a 2:1 safety factor. The manufacturer label can be relevant to component ratings, but the anchor minimum is set by OSHA, not the label.

3. 03Focus Four — Electrocution

   ~75min

   Power-line clearance, GFCI requirements, and lockout/tagout. The Focus Four hazard most likely to kill silently.

   • Overhead power-line clearance

     For lines rated 50 kV or below, equipment must stay at least 10 feet away. For higher voltages, the clearance increases by 4 inches per 10 kV above 50 kV. Lines must be assumed energized unless and until they are de-energized, visibly grounded at the worksite, AND the de-energization is verified by the line owner. Cranes, ladders, scaffolds, and even painters with extension poles all count.

     Reference: 29 CFR 1926.1408

   • GFCI on construction sites

     All 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-amp receptacle outlets on construction sites that are not part of the permanent wiring must be protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). The alternative is an "assured equipment grounding conductor program" with regular inspection and color-coded marking — but in practice, GFCIs are simpler and almost always used.

     Reference: 29 CFR 1926.404(b)(1)

   • Lockout/Tagout fundamentals

     Before servicing or maintaining equipment, energy sources must be isolated and locked out by each authorized worker — not just one shared lock. Tagout alone is only acceptable when lockout is physically impossible, and the tag must be supplemented with an additional safety measure. Workers must verify zero-energy state by attempting to start the equipment after lockout.

     Reference: 29 CFR 1910.147

   Practice questions (2)

   1. 1. A 13.8 kV overhead distribution line crosses your site. Minimum clearance for a boom truck operator?

      • A.3 ft
      • B.6 ft
      • C.10 ft✓ correct
      • D.20 ft

      1926.1408 requires 10 ft clearance for lines rated 50 kV and below. 13.8 kV falls under that ceiling, so the 10-ft minimum applies. Higher-voltage lines step up by 4 inches per additional 10 kV.

   2. 2. Which receptacle on a construction site MUST be GFCI-protected?

      • A.Only outdoor outlets
      • B.Only outlets within 10 feet of water
      • C.All temporary 120 V single-phase 15/20 A outlets not part of permanent wiring✓ correct
      • D.Only outlets serving cranes

      1926.404(b)(1) is broad: every temporary 120 V single-phase 15- or 20-amp receptacle on a construction site must be GFCI-protected unless the assured-equipment-grounding-conductor program is in place. Water proximity and outdoor location intensify the hazard but are not the trigger.

4. 04Personal Protective & Lifesaving Equipment

   ~60min

   When PPE is required, who pays, and the hierarchy of controls. Hard hats, eye protection, hearing, respiratory.

   • The hierarchy of controls

     OSHA expects engineering controls (eliminate / substitute / isolate the hazard) and administrative controls (job rotation, training, procedures) to be applied before PPE. PPE is the last line of defense — when nothing else can reduce exposure to acceptable levels, you give the worker a barrier. PPE alone is rarely sufficient; combine with controls upstream.

     Reference: 29 CFR 1926.95(a)

   • Who pays for PPE

     Employers pay for PPE at no cost to the worker — including hard hats, gloves, eye/face protection, hearing protection, fall-arrest systems, and respirators. The narrow exceptions are: ordinary safety-toed footwear (if allowed off-site), prescription safety eyewear (if allowed off-site), everyday clothing, and weather gear. Replacement is also employer-paid, except when the worker has lost or intentionally damaged the gear.

     Reference: 29 CFR 1926.95(d)

   Practice questions (1)

   1. 1. A worker requests a respirator after construction dust exceeds permissible exposure. The employer offers to deduct the cost from the next paycheck. Permitted?

      • A.Yes, if the respirator is also used off-site
      • B.No — respirators are employer-paid PPE✓ correct
      • C.Yes, if the worker signs a waiver
      • D.Only if the worker is non-union

      1926.95(d) explicitly lists respirators as employer-paid PPE with no exceptions. The 'allowed off-site' carve-out applies only to ordinary safety-toed footwear and prescription safety eyewear. A waiver does not override OSHA standards.

External resources

• Official
  OSHA Pocket Guide to Construction Safety ↗

  40-page agency-published condensation of the most-cited construction standards. Read this twice before the exam — half the questions trace back to its content.

• Official
  29 CFR 1926 Subpart M — Fall Protection ↗

  The actual fall-protection standard. Memorize the 6-foot trigger and the anchor strength requirement; the rest will fall into place from there.

• Official
  OSHA Construction Focus Four Training ↗

  OSHA-published Focus Four training material — Falls, Electrocution, Caught-In/Between, Struck-By. The Focus Four take 6 of the 30 mandatory hours and account for ~26% of construction fatalities.