9.1 OSHA Construction Standards Overview

OSHA's Role and Mission

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor that sets and enforces workplace safety standards. Created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA's mission is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.

For Arizona contractors, OSHA standards are also part of the open-book references you may bring to the PSI trade exam — 29 CFR Part 1926 is one of the two permitted reference sets (alongside the 2018 IBC for commercial B-1/B-2 license holders or the 2018 IRC for the residential B license).

29 CFR 1926 vs 1910

OSHA publishes standards in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The two parts most relevant to contractors are:

Construction employers must comply with 29 CFR 1926 for construction activities. When a standard does not exist in 1926, OSHA may apply the corresponding 1910 general-industry standard — for example, hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200) is referenced by 1926.59.

Employer and Employee Responsibilities

Employer responsibilities under the OSH Act:

• Provide a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm — the General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1)
• Comply with all applicable OSHA standards
• Provide training in a language workers understand
• Provide required personal protective equipment (PPE) at no cost to employees
• Keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses
• Report severe incidents within required timeframes

Employee responsibilities under the OSH Act:

• Comply with all applicable OSHA standards
• Follow employer safety and health rules
• Use provided PPE and equipment properly
• Report hazardous conditions to the employer

Quick Answer: The General Duty Clause (OSH Act Section 5(a)(1)) requires every employer to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm — even where no specific OSHA standard applies.

The "Focus Four" Hazards

OSHA designates four leading causes of construction fatalities as the Focus Four (also called the "Fatal Four"):

Falls are the leading cause of construction fatalities and receive the heaviest emphasis in the Safety domain of the Arizona trade exam.

Recordkeeping: OSHA 300 Logs

Employers with 11 or more employees (in non-exempt industries) must record work-related injuries and illnesses on three forms:

• OSHA 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses — record each recordable incident
• OSHA 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses — annual summary posted in the workplace from February 1 through April 30
• OSHA 301 Injury and Illness Incident Report — details for each recordable case

Severe-injury reporting requirements (call OSHA or use the online form):

• Fatalities within 8 hours
• Inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours

OSHA Inspections and Penalties

OSHA inspections follow a priority order:

1. Imminent danger situations
2. Fatalities or catastrophes (hospitalizing 3+ workers)
3. Worker complaints
4. Referrals from other agencies or media
5. Programmed (targeted) inspections in high-hazard industries

Violation categories include:

• Serious — a hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm, and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard
• Other-than-serious — a violation with a lesser probability of serious harm
• Willful — intentional or voluntary disregard for safety requirements
• Repeated — a similar violation cited previously
• Failure to abate — a previously cited violation not corrected by the abatement date

Penalty dollar amounts are adjusted annually for inflation and are not published in this guide; consult OSHA's current penalty page for the most recent figures rather than memorizing a number that may be stale on exam day.

OSHA and the Arizona Trade Exam

For the Arizona contractor trade exam, 29 CFR Part 1926 is one of the open-book references you may bring to the PSI test center (the other is the 2018 IBC for commercial B-1/B-2 license holders, or the 2018 IRC for the residential B). Knowing how to navigate the standard — its subpart structure, section numbering, and key thresholds — is directly useful on exam day. The Safety domain accounts for 12 of the 100 questions on the B-1/B-2 commercial general building exam, making it one of the heavier content areas alongside Concrete (14), Metals (13), and Carpentry (12).

Quick Answer: 29 CFR Part 1926 is an open-book reference for the PSI trade exam, and Safety accounts for 12 of 100 questions on the B-1/B-2 commercial general building exam — one of the heaviest content areas.

Key Subparts of 29 CFR 1926