OSH Act and OSHA Policy
12%of exam
General Duty ClauseMulti-Employer PolicyCompetent vs Qualified PersonPenalty StructureHierarchy of Controls
Falls (Subpart M)
18%of exam
Fall Protection TriggersGuardrail SpecificationsPFAS RequirementsSafety Nets and CAZLadder Safety Rules
Electrical (Subpart K)
10%of exam
Overhead Line ClearanceGFCI ProtectionLockout Tagout RulesQualified Electrical Worker
Struck-By and Caught-In
10%of exam
Struck-By VehiclesRigging InspectionNail Gun SafetyCaught-In HazardsFormwork and Steel Erection
Health Hazards (Subpart D)
15%of exam
Silica PEL and ControlsLead Exposure LimitsAsbestos ClassificationNoise and HearingHazCom and Heat Illness
Excavations (Subpart P)
10%of exam
Cave-In Protection TriggerSoil ClassificationSloping and ShoringExcavation Inspection
Scaffolds (Subpart L)
10%of exam
Scaffold Load FactorScaffold InspectionFall Protection at 10ftHeight to Base Ratio
Recordkeeping (1904)
10%of exam
Fatality and Injury ReportingOSHA 300 LogRecordable CriteriaInspection Priority Order
Cranes, PPE and Fire
15%of exam
Crane Operator CertificationCrane Power Line ClearancePPE Cost RulesHot Work and Fire Watch
Quick Facts
- Course
- OSHA #510
- Focus
- 29 CFR 1926
- Duration
- 4 days, 32 hours
- Attendance
- 100% required
- Grading
- Pass/fail exam
- Prerequisite For
- OSHA #500 Trainer
- Fall Trigger
- 6 feet
- Silica PEL
- 50 μg/m³
Hierarchy of Controls
Eliminate, substitute, engineer, administer, then PPE last
EliminationSubstitutionEngineeringAdministrativePPE
Competent vs Qualified Person
Competent Person
- Identifies hazards daily
- Corrects them promptly
Qualified Person
- Holds technical credentials
- Designs engineered solutions
Different roles, same site safety
OSH Act Foundations
- OSH Act 1970
- Safe workplace authority
- General Duty Clause
- Recognized hazard rule
- 29 CFR 1926
- Construction standards
- 29 CFR 1910
- General industry standards
- 29 CFR 1904
- Recordkeeping standards
- Hierarchy of Controls
- Elimination to PPE order
Serious vs Willful Violation
Serious
- Up to $16,550
- No intent required
Willful
- Up to $165,514
- Intentional disregard shown
Intent raises the penalty cap
Multi-Employer and Penalties
- Creating Employer
- Caused the hazard
- Exposing Employer
- Workers are exposed
- Correcting Employer
- Responsible for fixing
- Controlling Employer
- Site-wide safety authority
- Competent Person
- Inspects and corrects hazards
- Qualified Person
- Designs technical solutions
- Willful/Repeated Cap
- $165,514 per violation
- Failure to Abate
- $16,550 per day
Focus Four Order
Falls, struck-by, caught-in, electrocution cause most deaths
FallsStruck-ByCaught-InElectrocution
6ft vs 10ft Trigger
General Construction
- 6-foot fall trigger
- Subpart M rule
Scaffolds
- 10-foot fall trigger
- Subpart L rule
Scaffolds get a higher trigger
Fall Protection Picker
- General construction 6ft+→Guardrail net or PFAS(Pick per site conditions)
- Scaffold work 10ft+→Guardrail or PFAS
- Steel erection connector→15-foot trigger applies
- Leading edge work→Controlled access zone
- Low-slope roof work→Warning line plus monitor(Not standalone protection)
- Portable ladder setup→4:1 pitch ratio
- Vertical rise 19in+→Stairway or ladder required
Fall Protection Triggers
- General Fall Trigger
- 6 feet to lower level
- Scaffold Fall Trigger
- 10 feet Subpart L
- Steel Erection Trigger
- 15 feet for connectors
- Guardrail Top Rail
- 42 inches ±3 inches
- Guardrail Mid-Rail
- About 21 inches high
- Toeboard Minimum
- 3.5 inches high
- Guardrail Strength
- Withstand 200 lbs force
- Ramp Guardrail Trigger
- 6 feet or more
Fall Protection Systems
- PFAS Free Fall Limit
- Maximum 6 feet
- PFAS Arresting Force
- Maximum 1,800 lbs
- PFAS Anchor Point
- Minimum 5,000 lbs
- Safety Net Distance
- Within 30 feet
- Safety Net Extension
- 8 to 13 feet
- Net Drop Test
- Every 6 months
- CAZ Control Line
- 6 to 25 feet back
- Ladder Pitch Ratio
- 4:1 base to height
- Stairway Trigger
- 19 inches vertical rise
Electrical Hazards
- Overhead Line Clearance
- 10 feet up to 50kV
- Line Clearance Above 50kV
- +4 inches per 10kV
- Crane Line Clearance
- 20 feet up to 350kV
- Crane Clearance Above 350kV
- 50 feet minimum
- GFCI Trip Current
- 5 milliamps or more
- GFCI Trip Time
- About 1/40 second
- Grounding Threshold
- 50 volts or more
- LOTO Standard
- 29 CFR 1926.417
- Qualified Electrical Worker
- Task-specific hazard training
Struck-By and Caught-In
- Leading Struck-By Cause
- Vehicles and mobile equipment
- Reverse Alarm Rule
- Audible alarm or spotter
- Rigging Inspection
- Before each use or shift
- Nail Gun Trigger
- Sequential mode required
- Machine Guarding Standard
- 29 CFR 1926.300
- Caught-In Definition
- Crushed between two objects
- Formwork Inspection
- Before each concrete pour
- Steel Erection Plan
- Written site-specific plan
PEL Quick Recall
Silica and lead fifty, asbestos tenth, noise ninety
Silica 50Lead 50Asbestos 0.1Noise 90
Silica vs Lead PEL
Silica
- PEL 50 μg/m³
- Action level 25
Lead
- PEL 50 μg/m³
- Action level 30
Same PEL, different action levels
Health Hazard PELs
- Silica PEL
- 50 μg/m³ TWA
- Silica Action Level
- 25 μg/m³
- Lead PEL
- 50 μg/m³ TWA
- Lead Action Level
- 30 μg/m³
- Lead Removal BLL
- 50 μg/dL
- Lead Return BLL
- Below 40 μg/dL twice
- Asbestos PEL
- 0.1 f/cc TWA
- Asbestos Excursion Limit
- 1.0 f/cc, 30 min
- Noise PEL
- 90 dBA TWA
Health Hazard Controls
- Noise Action Level
- 85 dBA TWA
- Silica Engineering Controls
- Wet methods or LEV
- HazCom Standard
- 29 CFR 1926.59
- SDS Requirement
- Accessible for every chemical
- Heat Illness Framework
- Water rest shade acclimatization
- Demolition Survey
- Competent person before start
- Utility Shutoff
- Required before demolition begins
- Asbestos Class I
- Highest-risk removal work
Soil Types Flatten
A holds steepest, B middle, C flattest
Type AType BType CStable Rock
Type A vs Type C Soil
Type A
- Most stable soil
- 0.75:1 slope
Type C
- Least stable soil
- 1.5:1 slope
Less stable needs flatter slope
Excavation Protection Picker
- Depth 5 feet+→Protective system required
- Depth 4 feet+→Safe egress within 25ft
- Soil tests Type A→0.75:1 slope allowed
- Soil tests Type B→1:1 slope allowed
- Soil tests Type C→1.5:1 slope allowed
- Entirely stable rock→No sloping required
- Benching method chosen→Only Type A or B
- Materials near edge→Keep spoil 2ft back
Excavation Basics
- Cave-In Protection Trigger
- 5 feet or deeper
- Egress Trigger
- 4 feet or deeper
- Egress Distance
- Within 25 feet lateral
- Type A Soil
- 0.75:1 slope, 53°
- Type B Soil
- 1:1 slope, 45°
- Type C Soil
- 1.5:1 slope, 34°
- Stable Rock
- No sloping needed
- Spoil Pile Setback
- At least 2 feet
- Excavation Inspection
- Daily and after rain
Scaffold Basics
- Scaffold Safety Factor
- 4 times max load
- Suspension Rope Factor
- 6 times max load
- Scaffold Fall Trigger
- 10 feet height
- Scaffold Inspection
- Competent person each shift
- Freestanding Tie Ratio
- 4:1 height to base
- Mobile Scaffold Ratio
- 3:1 height to base
- Plank Support Spacing
- 8 feet on center
- Plank Overhang
- 6 to 12 inches
Recordable vs Reportable
Recordable
- Goes on OSHA 300
- Meets 1904.7 criteria
Reportable
- Called into OSHA fast
- Fatality or hospitalization
Reportable events are always urgent
Reporting and Penalty Picker
- Worker fatality occurs→Report to OSHA in 8h
- Hospitalization amputation or eye loss→Report to OSHA in 24h
- Violation is serious→Up to $16,550
- Violation is willful or repeated→Up to $165,514
- Abatement date missed→$16,550 per day
- Employer has 11+ workers→Keep OSHA 300 log
- Imminent danger found→Top inspection priority
Recordkeeping Essentials
- Fatality Report Window
- 8 hours
- Hospitalization Report Window
- 24 hours
- OSHA 300 Log
- Injury and illness log
- OSHA 300A Posting
- February 1 to April 30
- Recordable Threshold
- 11 or more employees
- Recordable Criteria
- Beyond first aid treatment
- Top Inspection Priority
- Imminent danger conditions
- Crane Record Retention
- At least 12 months
PASS Extinguisher Use
Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep the fire
PullAimSqueezeSweep
Cranes, PPE and Fire
- Crane Operator Certification
- NCCCO NCCER or CIC
- Signal Person Qualification
- Third-party or employer evaluator
- Crane Shift Inspection
- Visual check each shift
- Crane Annual Inspection
- Every 12 months maximum
- PPE Cost Rule
- Employer-provided at no cost
- Hot Work Extinguisher
- 10-lb ABC dry chemical
- Fire Watch Duration
- 30 minutes after work
- Oxygen-Deficient Atmosphere
- Below 19.5% oxygen
Common Traps
6ft vs 10ft Confusion
General trigger is 6ft ≠ Scaffold trigger is 10ft
Serious vs Willful Mix-Up
Both need OSHA citation ≠ Willful requires intent shown
Silica PEL vs Action Level
PEL is 50 μg/m³ ≠ Action level is 25
Warning Line Alone Fails
Not a standalone system ≠ Needs a safety monitor
Type C Is Weakest Soil
Least stable of three ≠ Needs the flattest slope
Competent Is Not Qualified
Competent finds daily hazards ≠ Qualified designs technical systems
Crane Clearance Beats General Rule
General rule is 10ft ≠ Crane rule is 20ft
Last Minute
- 1.Fall protection trigger: 6 feet
- 2.Scaffold fall trigger: 10 feet
- 3.Guardrail top rail: 42 inches
- 4.Silica PEL: 50 μg/m³
- 5.Lead action level: 30 μg/m³
- 6.Asbestos PEL: 0.1 f/cc
- 7.Noise PEL: 90 dBA
- 8.Report fatality: within 8 hours
- 9.Report hospitalization: within 24 hours
- 10.Excavation protection trigger: 5 feet
- 11.Scaffold safety factor: 4 times
- 12.Competent person inspects scaffolds daily
- 13.PFAS free fall limit: 6ft
- 14.Multi-employer policy: four employer roles
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