Course Scope and Standards Navigation
Not publishedof exam
Course identityEligibility29 CFR structureScope and applicationStandards lookupTrainer path
OSHA Policy and Recordkeeping
Not publishedof exam
OSH ActGeneral Duty ClauseEnforcementWorker rightsPart 1904Severe reporting
Surfaces, Egress, and Fire
Not publishedof exam
Walking surfacesFall protectionLaddersExit routesEmergency plansFire protection
Chemicals, PPE, and Confined Spaces
Not publishedof exam
Hazard communicationHazardous materialsPPE assessmentRespiratorsPermit spacesAtmospheric testing
Energy, Materials, and Machines
Not publishedof exam
Lockout tagoutMaterials handlingIndustrial trucksMachine guardingHand toolsAbrasive wheels
Electrical, Welding, and Occupational Health
Not publishedof exam
Electrical workFlexible cordsHot workCompressed gasesNoiseAir contaminants
Quick Facts
- Course
- OSHA #511
- Type
- OTI standards course
- Industry
- General industry
- Primary standards
- 29 CFR 1910
- Minimum contact
- 26 hours
- Prerequisites
- None
- Provider
- Authorized OTI Education Center
- Completion
- Course completion certificate
- Attendance
- Full attendance required
- National exam
- None published
- Domain weights
- None published
- Trainer path
- Precedes OSHA #501
- Fundamentals program
- Required course
CFR Source Map
1903 inspects, 1904 records, 1910 protects
1903: enforcement1904: records1910: standards
OSHA #511 vs OSHA 30-Hour
OSHA #511
- Standards-focused OTI course
- Minimum 26 contact hours
- Completion certificate
OSHA 30-Hour
- Worker hazard-awareness class
- Thirty contact hours
- Outreach completion card
They are not equivalent
Find the Governing Source
- Inspection or citation procedure→Check Part 1903
- Injury recording or reporting→Check Part 1904
- General industry hazard→Check Part 1910
- Construction operation→Check Part 1926
- State Plan jurisdiction→Check state requirements
- No specific standard applies→Evaluate General Duty
Course Identity and Eligibility
- OSHA #511
- General industry standards course
- Course purpose
- Locate and apply requirements
- Minimum contact hours
- At least 26
- Prerequisites
- None
- Eligible learners
- Anyone interested in workplace safety
- Authorized provider
- OTI Education Center
- Successful completion
- Course completion certificate
- Attendance
- Attend all training sessions
- Fees and schedule
- Vary by Education Center
- Delivery eligibility
- Confirm center and regional rules
- OSHA 30-Hour
- Not equivalent to #511
- Trainer authorization
- Not granted by #511
- #501 prerequisites
- #511 plus five years experience
- Experience substitution
- OSH degree, CSP, or CIH
- Maximum substitution
- Two years experience
Course Outcomes
Define, identify, locate, determine, apply
TermsHazardsStandardsRequirementsPrograms
OSHA #511 vs OSHA #501
OSHA #511
- No prerequisites
- Standards application course
- Does not authorize trainers
OSHA #501
- Separate trainer course
- Five years safety experience
- Can authorize Outreach trainers
Standards course precedes trainer course
Official Course Outcomes
- Define terms
- Use general industry vocabulary
- Identify hazards
- Recognize general industry exposures
- Locate standards
- Find applicable OSHA sections
- Determine requirements
- Match facts to provisions
- Locate policies
- Use current OSHA guidance
- Locate procedures
- Follow applicable OSHA process
- Apply standards
- Supplement ongoing safety programs
- Hazard emphasis
- Focus on hazardous operations
Certificate vs Certification
Course Certificate
- Documents successful completion
- Issued by Education Center
- Applies to one course
Certification
- Separate professional credential
- Usually certifies competence
- Not created by #511
Completion is not certification
Safety and Health Fundamentals
- Program
- General Industry certificate
- OSHA #511
- One required course
- Total courses
- At least seven
- Total contact hours
- At least 68
- Required courses
- Three totaling 39 hours
- Elective courses
- At least four
- Elective contact hours
- At least 29
- Course transfer
- Across OTI Education Centers
- Application
- After final required course
- Proof
- Certificates or transcript
- Program fee
- May apply by Center
- Credential scope
- Separate multi-course certificate
Scheduling and Delivery
- Current offerings
- Use OSHA searchable schedule
- Dates and tuition
- Vary by Education Center
- Registration
- Through authorized Center
- In-person
- Available by offering
- VILT
- Live instructor-led training
- VILT eligibility
- Attend within OSHA region
- Self-paced online
- Not an OTIEC format
- Attendance
- All sessions required
Part 1904 vs Part 1910
Part 1904
- Records injuries and illnesses
- Reports severe events
- Contains OSHA forms
Part 1910
- Controls workplace hazards
- Organized by subparts
- General industry standards
Record events vs control hazards
Respond to an Event
- Work-related fatality→Report within eight hours
- Inpatient hospitalization→Report within 24 hours
- Amputation or eye loss→Report within 24 hours
- Treatment beyond first aid→Evaluate recordability
- OSHA citation received→Post near hazard
- Citation disputed→Contest within 15 working days
OSH Act and Enforcement
- Section 5(a)(1)
- General Duty Clause
- Section 5(a)(2)
- Employers follow OSHA standards
- Section 5(b)
- Employees follow applicable rules
- Specific standard
- Use before General Duty
- Recognized hazard
- Known serious workplace danger
- Federal OSHA
- Enforces federal requirements
- State Plan
- At least as effective as federal
- Worker complaint
- May prompt OSHA inspection
- Employee representative
- May join inspection walkaround
- Opening conference
- Explains inspection scope
- Walkaround
- Examines workplace conditions
- Closing conference
- Discusses apparent findings
- Citation posting
- Post near cited hazard
- Posting duration
- Abatement or three working days
- Contest period
- 15 working days
Recordable vs Reportable
Recordable
- Enter qualifying case
- Use OSHA 300
- Part 1904 criteria
Reportable
- Notify OSHA promptly
- Severe event categories
- Eight or 24 hours
Different duties and deadlines
Recordkeeping and Severe Reporting
- OSHA 300
- Injury and illness log
- OSHA 301
- Incident detail report
- OSHA 300A
- Annual summary
- Recordable case
- Meets Part 1904 criteria
- Medical treatment
- Beyond OSHA-defined first aid
- Loss of consciousness
- Recordable when work-related
- Days away
- Count calendar days after event
- Day-count cap
- 180 calendar days
- Fatality
- Report within 8 hours
- Inpatient hospitalization
- Report within 24 hours
- Amputation or eye loss
- Report within 24 hours
- Small-employer exemption
- Ten or fewer throughout last year
- Severe-event reporting
- Applies despite recordkeeping exemption
- 300A posting
- February 1 through April 30
- Record retention
- Five years after covered year
EAP vs Fire Prevention Plan
EAP
- Reports emergencies
- Directs evacuation
- Assigns response duties
FPP
- Lists major fire hazards
- Controls ignition sources
- Controls combustible waste
Respond to emergencies vs prevent fires
Surfaces, Falls, and Ladders
- 1910.22 housekeeping
- Clean, orderly, sanitary surfaces
- Wet processes
- Provide drainage and dry footing
- Surface capacity
- Support maximum intended load
- Surface inspection
- Regularly and as necessary
- Hazardous surface
- Correct or guard before reuse
- Unprotected edge
- Protect at four feet
- Hole protection
- Cover or guard openings
- Portable ladders
- Excluded from 1910.28
- Ladder inspection
- Before first use each shift
- Defective ladder
- Tag and remove from service
- Climbing
- Face ladder; grasp one hand
- Stepladder top
- Never use as step
- Upper landing access
- Extend three feet or secure
Egress and Fire Planning
- Exit routes
- Usually at least two
- Single exit
- Allowed only when safe
- Exit discharge
- Leads outside or safe space
- Exit door
- Openable inside without special knowledge
- Exit door type
- Side-hinged
- Outward swing
- High hazard or over fifty
- EAP trigger
- Required by another OSHA standard
- Small EAP
- Ten or fewer may communicate orally
- EAP core
- Report, evacuate, account, assign duties
- FPP core
- Control fuel and ignition hazards
- Extinguisher access
- Mounted, identified, readily accessible
- Visual inspection
- Monthly
- Maintenance check
- Annually
- Employee extinguisher education
- Initially and annually
- Class A travel
- 75 feet maximum
- Class B travel
- 50 feet maximum
Permit Space Air Order
Oxygen before combustibles before toxics
OxygenCombustiblesToxics
Confined vs Permit Space
Confined Space
- Large enough to enter
- Limited entry or exit
- Not designed for occupancy
Permit Space
- Is a confined space
- Contains specified serious hazard
- Requires controlled entry
Hazards create permit status
Control a Workplace Hazard
- Hazard can be removed→Eliminate it
- Safer material exists→Substitute it
- Exposure can be isolated→Engineer controls
- Work method can change→Use administrative controls
- Residual exposure remains→Select fitted PPE
- Air contamination remains→Use suitable respirator
Hazard Communication and PPE
- 1910.1200
- Hazard Communication Standard
- Written HazCom program
- Explains workplace implementation
- Chemical list
- Inventory of hazardous chemicals
- Container label
- Communicates immediate hazard information
- Safety Data Sheet
- Detailed chemical information
- HazCom training
- Initial assignment and new hazards
- PPE hazard assessment
- Identify hazards before selecting equipment
- Assessment certification
- Document workplace, person, date
- PPE selection
- Match hazard and proper fit
- PPE training
- Use, limits, care, disposal
- Damaged PPE
- Do not use
- PPE payment
- Employer pays, except listed exclusions
Control Order
Eliminate, substitute, engineer, administer, protect
EliminationSubstitutionEngineeringAdministrativePPE
Respirators and Permit Spaces
- Respiratory priority
- Use feasible engineering controls first
- Required respirator use
- Needs written worksite program
- Respirator selection
- Match hazard, exposure, and user
- Medical evaluation
- Before fit testing or use
- Fit test
- Before use and at least annually
- User seal check
- Every tight-facepiece use
- Oxygen deficient
- Below 19.5 percent
- Confined space
- Entry-sized, limited access, nonoccupancy design
- Permit space
- Contains specified serious hazards
- Workplace evaluation
- Identify permit spaces
- Employee warning
- Sign or equally effective means
- Atmospheric test order
- Oxygen, combustibles, toxics
- Authorized entrant
- Enters under the permit
- Attendant
- Remains outside and monitors
- Entry supervisor
- Verifies and authorizes entry
- Retrieval
- Use non-entry rescue when feasible
- Canceled permits
- Retain at least one year
LOTO Flow
Prepare, stop, isolate, lock, release, verify
PrepareShutdownIsolateApplyReleaseVerify
Match Hazard to Standard
- Unexpected startup during servicing→Use 1910.147
- Serious confined-space hazard→Use 1910.146
- Chemical communication gap→Use 1910.1200
- Four-foot unprotected edge→Use 1910.28
- Powered industrial truck→Use 1910.178
- Machine danger zone→Use 1910.212
Lockout and Tagout
- 1910.147 scope
- Servicing with hazardous energy risk
- Energy-control program
- Procedures, training, periodic inspections
- Authorized employee
- Applies energy-control devices
- Affected employee
- Uses or works near equipment
- Preparation
- Know energy type and magnitude
- Shutdown
- Stop equipment normally
- Isolation
- Disconnect every energy source
- Device application
- Apply personal lockout or tagout
- Stored energy
- Restrain or render safe
- Verification
- Confirm isolation before work
- Lockout
- Physically restrains isolating device
- Tagout
- Warns but does not restrain
- Periodic inspection
- At least annually
- Inspection independence
- Another authorized employee inspects
- Device removal
- Normally by its applier
- Cord-and-plug exception
- Plug under exclusive control
Lockout vs Tagout
Lockout
- Physically restrains device
- Preferred when lockable
- Needs identifiable personal device
Tagout
- Warns against operation
- Does not physically restrain
- Needs equivalent protection measures
A tag is only warning
Materials and Industrial Trucks
- Stored materials
- Stable and secure against collapse
- Aisles
- Keep clear and permanently marked
- Storage tiers
- Stack, block, interlock, limit height
- Sling inspection
- Each day before use
- Damaged sling
- Immediately remove from service
- Rated capacity
- Never exceed marked limit
- PIT authorization
- Trained and competent operators
- PIT training
- Formal, practical, workplace evaluation
- Operator evaluation
- At least every three years
- Refresher triggers
- Unsafe event, change, poor evaluation
- Pre-use examination
- Daily or after each shift
- Unattended truck
- Out of view or 25 feet
- Unattended forks
- Lower, neutralize, brake, power off
- Unauthorized riders
- Not permitted
Machine and Tool Guarding
- Point of operation
- Material processing area
- Guarding hazards
- Nip, rotation, chips, sparks
- Guard attachment
- Affix to machine when possible
- Guard design
- Must not create hazards
- Danger zone
- Keep body parts outside
- Special hand tools
- Supplement guards, never replace them
- Fixed machinery
- Anchor against movement
- Tool condition
- Employer maintains safe equipment
- Compressed-air cleaning
- Under 30 psi; guarding and PPE
- Abrasive wheel
- Ring-test before mounting
- Bench-grinder work rest
- Maximum one-eighth inch gap
- Bench-grinder tongue guard
- Maximum one-quarter inch gap
Electrical and Hot Work
- Electrical default
- Deenergize exposed live parts
- Energized exception
- Increased hazard or infeasibility
- Energized work
- Use protective work practices
- Qualified person
- Trained for exposed electrical hazards
- Live-part guarding
- Required at least 50 volts
- Working space
- Keep clear; never store items
- Flexible cord
- Not fixed-wiring substitute
- Cord routing
- Not through walls or doorways
- Hot-work combustibles
- Move or protect within 35 feet
- Fire watch
- Continue at least 30 minutes
- Oxygen and fuel gas
- Separate by 20 feet
- Separation barrier
- Five feet, 30-minute resistance
- Cylinder movement
- Use valve-protection caps
Occupational Health Anchors
- Noise action level
- 85 dBA eight-hour TWA
- Hearing conservation
- Starts at action level
- Noise PEL
- 90 dBA eight-hour TWA
- Noise exchange rate
- Five decibels
- Baseline audiogram
- Usually within six months
- Annual audiogram
- After baseline for covered employees
- Hearing protectors
- Offer at no cost
- 1910.1000 tables
- Air-contaminant exposure limits
- Eight-hour TWA
- Average exposure limit
- Ceiling limit
- Never exceed listed concentration
- Engineering controls
- Primary exposure reduction method
- Work-practice controls
- Supplement exposure reduction
- HazCom
- Communicates hazards, not exposure limits
Common Traps
Treating #511 as certification
It is an OTI course ≠ Completion yields a course certificate
Inventing national exam mechanics
OSHA publishes no national blueprint ≠ Check selected center policies
Equating #511 with OSHA 30
Different purpose and credential ≠ OSHA says they are nonequivalent
Assuming #511 authorizes teaching
Trainer authorization requires #501 ≠ Experience requirements also apply
Confusing two certificates
#511 yields course completion ≠ Fundamentals requires seven courses
Using construction fall thresholds
General industry commonly uses four feet ≠ Check specific operation exceptions
Confusing recording and reporting
Recording uses OSHA forms ≠ Reporting uses short deadlines
Applying federal text blindly
State Plans may differ ≠ Check jurisdiction before advising
Skipping standard scope
Read application and definitions first ≠ Exceptions can change the answer
Relying on PPE first
Use feasible higher controls ≠ PPE manages residual exposure
Last Minute
- 1.Treat #511 as a course
- 2.Use no invented exam weights
- 3.Confirm selected center policies
- 4.Navigate 1903, 1904, and 1910
- 5.Read scope and definitions first
- 6.Distinguish federal and State Plans
- 7.Separate recording from reporting
- 8.Recall four-foot fall protection
- 9.Test permit-space air in order
- 10.Verify isolation before servicing
- 11.Guard every machine danger zone
- 12.Deenergize electrical parts by default
- 13.Use engineering controls before PPE
- 14.Remember #501 is separate
- 15.Fundamentals requires seven courses
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