OSHA 10 vs. OSHA 30: Which Course Do You Need?

An independent OSHA Outreach course guide from Required Courses — not OSHA or a government agency.

Match the right Outreach course to your role, your industry track, and the rule that actually controls your situation — then verify the trainer or online provider before you pay.

Program documents, provider authorizations, state and local requirements, and price examples were reviewed August 10, 2026. Prices are dated snapshots and must be rechecked before enrollment.

On this page

• OSHA 10 vs. OSHA 30 at a glance
• Who requires OSHA training, and who accepts your card?
• What changes between OSHA 10 and OSHA 30?
• Which OSHA card do you need?
• Choose the industry track before the hour level
• How long, how much, and what proof do you receive?
• Real-world scenarios and escalation triggers
• Does OSHA 10 expire? Replacement and upgrade myths
• How this comparison was built
• Verify the requirement and provider before you enroll
• Frequently asked questions

OSHA 10 vs. OSHA 30 at a glance

Choose OSHA 10 when the requirement that applies to you calls for a 10-hour Outreach course and your role is entry-level or carries no designated safety responsibility. Choose OSHA 30 when the requirement calls for 30 hours, or your job includes supervising work, planning safety controls, leading inspections, or other safety duties. Before enrolling in either, confirm two more things: the correct industry track — Construction, General Industry, or Maritime — and the exact employer, project, union, state, or local rule that controls acceptance. According to the OSHA Outreach Training Program, the program is voluntary at the federal level, and neither card is a certification or a substitute for the hazard-specific training an employer must provide under specific OSHA standards.

What it costs, and how fast it can be done. Online Construction-track list prices sampled from OSHA-authorized providers on August 10, 2026 ran $70–$89 for the 10-hour course and $150–$189 for the 30-hour, with one provider running a promotion below its list price on the check date. Your total required outlay is that tuition plus any mandatory card, processing or shipping charge, plus applicable tax. Program rules cap training at 7.5 student contact hours a day, so the earliest legitimate finish is two calendar days for OSHA 10 and four for OSHA 30 — and eleven US jurisdictions verified for this page attach a legal deadline or licence condition to the card, with consequences that run from removal from the worksite to mandatory suspension or termination.

Verify before you pay. An online course must appear on OSHA's list of authorized online providers for that exact track and hour level, and an in-person or live-remote instructor must appear in OSHA's Find a Trainer directory — the two lists are separate and a trainer will never be on the first one. Nevada adds a second step: the course must also be approved by the state.

Best fit by situation — each pick assumes the written requirement and industry track are confirmed first:

• Best if an employer, union, school, workforce program, or state agency will pay for or provide an accepted course: the funded seat. No out-of-pocket cost for you, but confirm who selects the provider, which track and hour level are covered, and any conditions before buying your own seat. Nevada's Safety Consultation and Training Section runs free state-sponsored 10-hour and 30-hour Construction classes; the Texas Division of Workers' Compensation runs low-cost in-person OSHA 30-Hour Construction classes for Texas residents and people working in Texas; and some workers reach a no-cost seat through a union training fund or a nonprofit running training under OSHA's Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. Every state also has a free OSHA On-Site Consultation program worth asking whether it runs or funds Outreach classes.
• Best for entry-level workers and new hires with a written 10-hour requirement: OSHA 10 in the named industry track.
• Best for supervisors, foremen, leads, and workers with designated safety duties — or anyone with a written 30-hour requirement: OSHA 30 in the named industry track.
• Best when a state or local law is what requires the card: the hour level and track that law names — check the state and local requirements below before you shop, because those laws carry their own deadlines and their own consequences for missing them.
• Best when the request says only "OSHA card" or "OSHA certified": neither course yet. Stop and get the hour level, track, delivery mode, and deadline in writing before you enroll or pay.
• Best when the requirement names HAZWOPER, forklift, fall protection, or another specific standard: neither. That is standard-specific training, not an Outreach course.

Who requires OSHA training, and who accepts your card?

Before you compare anything else: Federal OSHA authorizes Outreach trainers and online providers, but it describes Outreach training as voluntary — no general federal rule requires every worker to take OSHA 10 or OSHA 30. The result of either course is an Outreach course-completion card, not a certification or license. And the current Outreach Training Program Requirements state plainly that Outreach training does not meet the training requirements contained in any OSHA standard — so it never substitutes for the hazard-specific training an employer must provide. What makes the training "required" in practice is almost always a separate decision owner: an employer policy, a general contractor or project rule, a union agreement, or a state or local law.

That last point decides most real cases. The person or rule that requires the card is also the one that decides which hour level, which industry track, which delivery mode, and how recent a card it will accept. This page can tell you how the two courses differ; only the decision owner can tell you which one your situation demands.

When more than one rule applies — an employer policy and a stricter project rule, say — plan to satisfy the strictest written version, and get that answer from the requester rather than assuming.

Authorized, required and accepted: three different systems

Call this the Authorized ≠ Required ≠ Accepted test, and run it before you spend anything. Three separate systems touch an Outreach card, and mixing them up is how people buy unusable training. The table below sorts them out for the models that apply to this page.

Model	Who approves or accepts	What it changes for you
Federal authorization	OSHA authorizes Outreach trainers and, course by course, online training providers	Your verification path. An unauthorized course cannot produce a valid Outreach card — check the official list before paying.
State approval on top of federal authorization	A state agency that separately approves the courses its own law will accept — Nevada is the example on this page	A second verification step. A federally authorized course can still fail a state statute that requires state approval as well.
Employer, project, or union acceptance	Employer, general contractor, project owner, or union	Whether a card is required at all, which track and hour level count, and how recent the card must be. A validly issued card can still be refused here.
State or local requirement	State or city law for certain jobs or worksites	A legal mandate with its own deadline, its own consequence for missing it, and its own proof rules, separate from federal OSHA's voluntary posture.

Wording matters: "authorized" describes the trainer or provider, "required" describes a rule that applies to you, and "accepted" describes what the decision owner will actually honor. None of the three implies the others.

The same wording is a warning sign in the other direction. OSHA's program requirements prohibit authorized trainers and providers from using the OSHA or Department of Labor logo, from any form of "certify" or "license," from claiming OSHA "approval" of a trainer or class, and from advertising that a course is OSHA compliant or that it meets the training requirements of an OSHA standard. A seller doing any of those things is either not authorized or not following the rules it agreed to. OSHA publishes its own guidance on avoiding card fraud, including the plain statement that taking the course does not guarantee a job — so treat any advertisement promising employment as a reason to walk away rather than a reason to buy.

When a law, not an employer, requires the card

Most readers are sent here by an employer or a project. A minority are sent by statute, and those readers face a different problem: a legal deadline with a defined penalty rather than a policy their supervisor can flex. The eleven jurisdictions below are the ones this page has verified against the statute, the municipal code, or the enforcing agency.

State and local Outreach mandates verified against the cited statute, code or enforcing agency on August 10, 2026. Thresholds, deadlines and enforcement rules change without notice — confirm the current rule with the named authority before relying on a row.

Jurisdiction	Who it covers	What it requires	Deadline	If the deadline is missed	Governing source
Connecticut	Private employees and apprentices performing manual labor for a general contractor or subcontractor on a Connecticut public building project entered into on or after July 1, 2007, where the total cost of all work is at least $100,000	A 10-hour construction Outreach course (or, for telecommunications workers, a 10-hour course under the federal telecommunications standard)	The general contractor must furnish proof to the Labor Commissioner within 30 days of the contract award; a completion document issued more than five years before the project commencement date is not proof	The worker may keep working for a maximum of 14 consecutive calendar days while coming into compliance, and is subject to removal from the worksite if satisfactory proof is not provided by the fifteenth day after being found noncompliant	Connecticut Department of Labor bulletin on Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-53b
Massachusetts	Employees to be employed at the worksite of a Massachusetts public works or public building contract estimated to cost more than $10,000 — those entitled to the prevailing wage, plus other employees of an entity required to pay it there	The bidder or contractor certifies, under penalties of perjury, that every such employee has completed an OSHA-approved 10-hour construction safety course; covered employees must carry documentation on their person at the worksite or be able to direct an Attorney General's Office representative to it	Completion before the employee begins work; documentation filed with the first prevailing-wage certified payroll report on which each employee is listed	The Attorney General's Office enforces the Act; it may seek a Superior Court order restraining the award or performance of the contract, and it may remove employees without OSHA 10 training from the worksite	M.G.L. c. 30, §39S and the Attorney General's advisory on the OSHA 10 Act
Miami-Dade County, Florida	Everyone employed to perform construction on a Miami-Dade County construction contract valued above $1 million, and on a contract or lease above $1 million for privately funded construction on County-owned land	A completed OSHA 10-hour construction safety training course, under the County's Residents First Training and Employment Program	Before performing construction on the project; bidders submit Form RFTE 1 with their bid documents	Compliance is a contract condition that flows down to subcontractors and is enforced through the bid affidavit and the contract itself; the County's published pages do not state a separate worker-level penalty (checked August 10, 2026)	Miami-Dade County Residents First Training and Employment Program (Ordinance 14-26) and the County's contract requirements page
Missouri	On-site employees of contractors and subcontractors working under a contract with a Missouri public body for construction of public works	A 10-hour OSHA construction safety program, or a similar program approved by the Division of Labor Standards that is at least as stringent	Within 60 days of beginning work on the construction project	A worker found on site without documentation is allowed 20 days to produce it before being subject to removal from the project; the contractor forfeits $2,500 plus $100 for each employee for each calendar day worked without the required training, accruing only after those periods elapse	RSMo §292.675 and the Missouri Department of Labor's required-safety-training page
Nevada	Every construction worker in Nevada — public and private sites alike — plus supervisory employees on any construction site. Nevada separately mandates OSHA-10/30 by role in the entertainment industry, convention services, and cannabis establishments under other provisions of NRS Chapter 618	An OSHA-10 completion card for non-supervisory construction workers; an OSHA-30 completion card for supervisory employees — in each case from a course approved by the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations under NRS 618.977, not from federal authorization alone. Cards issued in Nevada after January 1, 2020 must be entered into the state verification database by the trainer	The card must be obtained no later than 15 days after the date of hire	The statute directs the employer to suspend or terminate the employment of a worker who has not presented a current, valid completion card by the fifteenth day	NRS Chapter 618, §§618.977, 618.983 and 618.987 and the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations' 10 and 30 Hour OSHA Training site
New Hampshire	On-site employees of anyone signing a contract for construction, reconstruction, alteration, remodeling, installation, demolition, maintenance or repair of a New Hampshire public work or building by a state agency, municipality or instrumentality, with a total project cost of $100,000 or more paid in whole or in part with state funds	A 10-hour OSHA construction safety program using an OSHA-approved curriculum, evidenced by the OSHA completion card	Completion before beginning work — there is no grace period for starting untrained	The worker is subject to removal from the worksite if documentation is not provided by the fifteenth day after being found noncompliant; the Labor Commissioner enforces the section	RSA 277:5-a
New York State	Laborers, workers and mechanics on a New York public work contract who are required under Labor Law Article 8 to receive the prevailing wage, where the advertised specifications are at least $250,000	Certification of successful completion of an OSHA 10 safety training course at least ten hours in duration	Certified before performing any work on the contract; proof attached to the first certified payroll submitted, and to each succeeding payroll on which a new employee is first listed	An uncertified worker may not perform work under the contract, and the Department states that an employer's own certification that employees completed the course is not sufficient proof. New York State does not require renewal	New York State Department of Labor, provisions of law for public work
New York City	Construction and demolition workers and supervisors at New York City sites required to designate a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager	A Department of Buildings Site Safety Training (SST) card. An OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 course counts toward the SST training total but is not itself an SST card	SST cards run five years and are renewed through DOB refresher training taken no more than one year before the renewal application; full OSHA courses do not have to be retaken to renew	Without a valid SST card, a covered worker cannot work on a covered site — the OSHA card alone will not get you through the gate	NYC Department of Buildings service notice on renewing SST cards
Philadelphia	Workers performing permitted construction or demolition work in Philadelphia for licensed contractors, plus at least one supervisory employee of each licensed Contractor, Excavation Contractor and Demolition Contractor	OSHA 10 for covered workers; OSHA 30 Construction Safety and Health from an authorized OSHA Outreach trainer, or an approved alternative, for the identified supervisor. Licensed plumbing, electrical, fire-suppression and warm-air contractors are exempt from the OSHA 30 supervisory requirement	The supervisor's OSHA 30 must have been completed within the five years preceding the licence application or renewal, and proof is submitted with it; workers must furnish proof of training to Licenses and Inspections on request	Licenses and Inspections will not process the contractor licence application or renewal without the supervisor's proof. At renewal, a supervisor whose OSHA 30 certificate L&I has already accepted may take 30 continuing-education hours in construction or demolition safety instead of retaking the course	Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections contractor requirements and Philadelphia Code §9-1004
Rhode Island	On-site employees of contractors performing work on Rhode Island municipal or state construction projects with a total project cost of $100,000 or more	An OSHA 10-hour construction safety program. Every covered person must carry the Department of Labor OSHA completion card on their person at all times while work is actually being performed, and cards may not be transferred (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 37-23-1, 37-23-6)	No person, firm, entity or corporation may bid for, solicit or work on a covered project without the program in place for its on-site employees	The director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training prescribes penalties by rule. The specific removal period and penalty amounts are not stated in §37-23-1 and were not confirmed from an official Rhode Island source for this page as of August 10, 2026 — confirm both with RI DLT before relying on them	Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, prevailing wage FAQ
West Virginia	Anyone used, employed or assigned to a West Virginia public improvement work site by a contractor or subcontractor under a contract entered on or after July 1, 2014, where the total contract cost of all work exceeds $50,000. It does not apply to a person assigned for fewer than 21 consecutive calendar days after their first day	A 10-hour construction safety program designed by OSHA	No later than 21 calendar days after being employed at or assigned to the public improvement work site	The Commissioner may issue a cease-and-desist order against the untrained person until they present evidence of completion, and may assess a civil penalty of $100 to $1,000 for each violation. Knowingly presenting a falsified training record is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $250 to $2,500	West Virginia Code §21-3-22

Three things are worth noticing across these rows. First, most of these laws require a federally authorized course, so verifying the trainer or online course on OSHA's list is the step that satisfies them — but Nevada is the exception, and it is the row with the harshest consequence. NRS 618.983 requires a card issued on completion of a course approved by the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations under NRS 618.977, and the Division maintains its own list of authorized trainers and a card verification database. Federal authorization alone does not satisfy the Nevada statute; confirm Division approval of the specific course with the Division before you pay. Second, every one of these laws attaches a consequence to its deadline, and the consequences differ: Nevada's falls on your employment, Connecticut's, New Hampshire's, Missouri's and West Virginia's on your presence at the worksite after a stated grace period, Massachusetts's on the contract itself, Philadelphia's on your employer's licence, and New York City's on whether the gate opens at all. Third, the hour level is not always 10 — Nevada and Philadelphia both make OSHA 30 the legal requirement for supervisors, which is exactly the case where guessing costs you two extra days and a second purchase.

A note on numbers you may see elsewhere. Several widely syndicated third-party compilations state a $290,000 New York threshold; the New York State Department of Labor's published figure for Labor Law Article 8 §220-h is $250,000, and that is the figure this page uses (checked August 10, 2026). Where a compilation and the authority disagree, the authority governs.

Your first action, before comparing prices:

1. Get the exact requirement in writing. Ask the requester for the hour level, industry track, delivery mode, completion deadline, what happens if that deadline is missed, and any card-recency rule. If the answer is only "OSHA card" or "OSHA certified," stop here — that is not enough information to buy anything.
2. Identify your industry track — Construction, General Industry, or Maritime — using the track table below and your employer's classification of the work.
3. Open the official verification path. For an online course, check the exact course against OSHA's current list of authorized online Outreach training providers. For an in-person class, that list will not contain your instructor — verify the individual through OSHA's Find a Trainer directory instead, and ask to see the trainer card, which the program requires the trainer to display at the start of every class and on student request. In Nevada, also confirm the course is approved by the Division of Industrial Relations. Our guide on how to verify an authorized course or provider walks through the full workflow.

Find the authority for your state

If your jurisdiction is not in the table above, this page has not verified an Outreach mandate for it — which is not the same as confirming there is none. The table below names the body that sets and enforces workplace safety rules in every US jurisdiction the OSH Act covers — all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five territories — so you can ask directly. Find your row, open the link, and ask that body whether an Outreach card is required for your work. In an OSHA-approved State Plan state that is a state agency; everywhere else it is a federal OSHA area office. For course requirements outside workplace safety, our guide to state and local course requirements is the routing page.

State Plan status and agency links verified against OSHA's State Plans directory on August 10, 2026. Alphabetical by jurisdiction. "None identified" means this page did not verify an Outreach mandate for that jurisdiction — it is not a finding that none exists.

Jurisdiction	Who sets and enforces workplace safety rules there	Outreach mandate verified on this page
Alabama	Federal OSHA — Alabama area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
American Samoa	Federal OSHA — American Samoa area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Alaska	Alaska Occupational Safety and Health (AKOSH)	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Arizona	Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH)	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Arkansas	Federal OSHA — Arkansas area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
California	Cal/OSHA	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Colorado	Federal OSHA — Colorado area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Connecticut	CONN-OSHA for state and local government workers; federal OSHA for private-sector work	Yes — see the Connecticut row above
Delaware	Federal OSHA — Delaware area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
District of Columbia	Federal OSHA — Washington, D.C. area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Florida	Federal OSHA — Florida area offices	Yes — Miami-Dade County; see the row above
Georgia	Federal OSHA — Georgia area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Guam	Federal OSHA — Guam area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Hawaii	Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH)	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Idaho	Federal OSHA — Idaho area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Illinois	Illinois OSHA for state and local government workers; federal OSHA for private-sector work	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Indiana	Indiana Department of Labor (IOSHA)	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Iowa	Iowa OSHA	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Kansas	Federal OSHA — Kansas area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Kentucky	Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Louisiana	Federal OSHA — Louisiana area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Maine	Maine DOL public sector workplace safety for state and local government workers; federal OSHA for private-sector work	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Maryland	Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH)	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Massachusetts	Department of Labor Standards for state and local government workers; federal OSHA for private-sector work	Yes — see the Massachusetts row above
Michigan	Michigan Labor and Economic Opportunity (MIOSHA)	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Minnesota	Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Mississippi	Federal OSHA — Mississippi area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Missouri	Federal OSHA — Missouri area offices	Yes — see the Missouri row above
Montana	Federal OSHA — Montana area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Nebraska	Federal OSHA — Nebraska area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Nevada	Nevada Division of Industrial Relations	Yes — see the Nevada row above
New Hampshire	Federal OSHA — New Hampshire area offices	Yes — see the New Hampshire row above
New Jersey	Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) for state and local government workers; federal OSHA for private-sector work	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
New Mexico	New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
New York	NYSDOL Safety and Health for state and local government workers; federal OSHA for private-sector work	Yes — New York State and New York City; see the rows above
North Carolina	North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
North Dakota	Federal OSHA — North Dakota area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Northern Mariana Islands	Federal OSHA — Northern Mariana Islands area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Ohio	Federal OSHA — Ohio area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Oklahoma	Federal OSHA — Oklahoma area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Oregon	Oregon Occupational Safety and Health	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Pennsylvania	Federal OSHA — Pennsylvania area offices	Yes — Philadelphia; see the row above
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico Departamento del Trabajo y Recursos Humanos	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Rhode Island	Federal OSHA — Rhode Island area offices	Yes — see the Rhode Island row above
South Carolina	SC OSHA	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
South Dakota	Federal OSHA — South Dakota area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Tennessee	TOSHA	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Texas	Federal OSHA — Texas area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
U.S. Virgin Islands	Virgin Islands Division of Occupational Safety and Health for state and local government workers; federal OSHA for private-sector work	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Utah	Utah Occupational Safety and Health (UOSH)	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Vermont	Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA)	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Virginia	Virginia Department of Labor and Industry	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Washington	Washington State Department of Labor and Industries	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
West Virginia	Federal OSHA — West Virginia area offices	Yes — see the West Virginia row above
Wisconsin	Federal OSHA — Wisconsin area offices	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026
Wyoming	Wyoming Department of Workforce Services OSHA	None identified as of Aug 10, 2026

What changes between OSHA 10 and OSHA 30?

Program fields below were verified against current OSHA Outreach program documents on August 10, 2026. Price and authorization entries are dated snapshots.

The honest difference is scope, not rank. OSHA 30 is longer and covers more topics — including safety-management material aimed at people responsible for others — but it is not "better" in any universal sense, and it does not automatically satisfy a requirement that names the 10-hour course. The matrix below gives both paths the same fields and the same evidence burden.

OSHA Outreach comparison. Acceptance can depend on a separate employer, project, union, state, or local rule.

Field	OSHA 10	OSHA 30	What controls
Primary intended audience	Entry-level workers needing basic hazard awareness	Supervisors and workers with safety responsibility	OSHA program design; your duties
Written trigger to enroll	Requirement names a 10-hour course for your track	Requirement names a 30-hour course, or duties carry safety responsibility and 30 is confirmed	Employer, project, union, or state/local rule
Industry tracks available	Construction, General Industry, Maritime	Construction, General Industry, Maritime	OSHA program structure
Minimum student contact hours	10	30	OSHA Outreach requirements
Minimum calendar days	2 (7.5 contact-hour daily cap)	4 (same daily cap)	OSHA Outreach requirements
Content depth	Core hazard-recognition topics	Broader topic set plus safety-management emphasis, per the Construction and General Industry procedures	OSHA track procedures
Testing	No OSHA-required final exam; trainer or provider may assess	Same for OSHA 30 — no OSHA-required final exam	OSHA FAQ; provider practice
Proctoring	Not required by the federal program	Same for OSHA 30 — not federally required	Employer, project or local rule — some require a proctored or identity-verified course, and buying the unproctored version is not fixable afterward
Result	Outreach course-completion card	Outreach course-completion card (30-hour)	OSHA card issuance through the authorized trainer
Card issuance window	Within 90 calendar days of the course end date	Same for OSHA 30 — 90 calendar days	OSHA Outreach requirements; see proof
Federal expiration position	Generally no federal expiration date	Same for OSHA 30 — generally no federal expiration date	OSHA Outreach FAQ; employer, local and state recency rules are separate
Acceptance owner	Employer, project, union, or state/local rule	Same for OSHA 30 — the decision owner decides	The decision owner, not OSHA
Named as the legal requirement in	Ten of the eleven jurisdictions in the table above	Nevada (supervisory employees) and Philadelphia (a licensed contractor's identified supervisor)	State statute or municipal code
Time and price trade-off	Shorter and cheaper (sampled list prices $70–$89, August 10, 2026)	Longer and costlier (sampled list prices $150–$189, August 10, 2026)	Provider pricing; dated snapshot only
What this card is not	Not a certification, licence, or proof of OSHA approval; not a substitute for standard-required training; not a guarantee of site access or a job	Same for the OSHA 30 card	OSHA program requirements and advertising rules
Main underbuy risk	Taking 10 when duties or the rule call for 30	Not the risk on this side	Written requirement and duties
Main overbuy risk	Not the risk on this side	Buying 30 as a prestige upgrade when 10 is what's named and accepted	Written requirement and budget

The "what controls" column is the Authorized ≠ Required ≠ Accepted test applied row by row. Both courses produce the same kind of document — a course-completion card — so the choice turns entirely on what the written requirement says and what your duties actually are.

Two fields deserve a closer read. "Content depth" is concrete, not promotional: the current track procedures build the 30-hour course from a larger set of required and elective topics, including material on safety-management responsibilities that the 10-hour course does not carry — that is what "designed for supervisors and safety-responsible workers" means in practice. And the underbuy and overbuy rows are deliberately asymmetric because the failure modes are: taking 10 when the rule or your duties call for 30 leaves you retraining on someone else's deadline, while taking 30 when 10 is named and accepted costs two extra days and roughly $80–$100 more at the list prices sampled below, and still does not entitle you to substitute it anywhere.

Which OSHA card do you need?

Work through the decision in this order. No step can override a written employer, project, union, or state or local rule.

1. Do you have the requirement in writing? If not, request it. If the answer is only "OSHA card," pause here.
2. Does the requirement name Outreach training at all? If it names HAZWOPER, confined space, fall protection, powered industrial trucks, or another specific standard, you need that standard-specific training — not OSHA 10 or 30.
3. Which industry track applies? Confirm Construction, General Industry, or Maritime before choosing hours.
4. What do your duties say? Entry-level, no designated safety duties points to 10; supervision or safety responsibility points to 30 — subject to the written rule either way.

Choose OSHA 10 when

• The controlling requirement explicitly says OSHA 10 for the correct track.
• Your role is entry-level or carries no designated safety responsibility, and the employer or project confirms a 10-hour card is accepted.
• You need basic hazard awareness rather than the deeper supervisory course.
• A school or pre-employment program names the 10-hour course and confirms the delivery mode and any card-recency rule.

Best for: workers whose written requirement names a 10-hour Outreach course in their industry track. Not ideal for: anyone whose duties include supervision, safety planning, or inspections, or whose requirement names 30 hours — taking 10 there is the classic underbuy. Audience fit reflects OSHA's program descriptions as of August 10, 2026; acceptance for your specific job is a separate check. Confirm before you pay: (1) the online course or trainer appears on OSHA's current authorized list — or in the Find a Trainer directory for in-person classes — for that track and hour level, and in Nevada is also approved by the Division of Industrial Relations; (2) the delivery mode and completion deadline are accepted, and you know what happens if the deadline is missed; (3) whether a proctored or identity-verified version is required; (4) the total cost, including any card or processing fee, fits the quote.

Choose OSHA 30 when

• The controlling requirement explicitly says OSHA 30.
• Your role includes supervision, safety planning, inspections, corrective action, incident-response coordination, or other designated safety responsibility.
• A project, contractor, employer, or local rule requires the 30-hour card for your role.
• You need the deeper course for current responsibilities — not merely as a résumé upgrade.

Best for: supervisors, foremen, leads, and safety-responsible workers, and anyone whose written requirement names 30 hours. Not ideal for: readers hoping a 30-hour card will automatically substitute for a named 10-hour requirement, or anyone whose real requirement is standard-specific training — substitution belongs to the decision owner, and the extra hours cost real time and money. Audience fit reflects OSHA's program descriptions as of August 10, 2026. Confirm before you pay: (1) if a rule names 10 hours, the decision owner confirms in writing that 30 is accepted instead; (2) the online course or trainer appears on OSHA's current authorized list for that track and hour level, and in Nevada is also approved by the Division of Industrial Relations; (3) whether a proctored or identity-verified version is required; (4) the four-calendar-day minimum schedule fits your deadline.

Consider neither — or pause — when

• The requirement actually names HAZWOPER, confined-space, fall-protection, powered-industrial-truck, or other standard-specific training rather than Outreach.
• The request says only "OSHA certified" or "OSHA card" and the hour level or track is unconfirmed.
• You are buying only because a provider promises employment, compliance, or universal acceptance — no Outreach course delivers any of those.
• Your employer offers its own accepted training or will pay for a specific provider or course. Confirm before self-purchasing.

If no one requires it. Some readers are the decision owner: no employer, project, or program has asked for a card, and the purchase is about readiness for a target industry. In that case, pick the track that matches the work you are pursuing, and match the hour level to the role you would actually hold — entry-level targets point to the 10-hour course. Be clear-eyed about what you are buying: an Outreach card can be a genuine plus on an application, but no card guarantees hiring, and a future employer may still name its own course, track, or recency rule.

If the student is under 18. OSHA 10 is common in high-school career and technical programs, and OSHA's authorized online list flags one provider as youth-focused. The school or program normally names the track and arranges the seat, so ask it before buying anything — a parent-purchased course in the wrong track is not transferable between tracks. Direct enrollment and payment questions to the program rather than to the student.

What counts as "safety responsibility"? Ignore the job title and check the duties: you direct or assign others' work, plan or select hazard controls, lead inspections or walkthroughs, document or investigate incidents, or hold designated safety tasks in writing. Two or more of these, done regularly, is a strong signal to raise the 30-hour question with the decision owner rather than defaulting to 10.

Match your situation to a starting move:

Your situation	Starting move	Verify before enrolling
New hire with a written 10-hour requirement	The named track's OSHA 10	Track named in writing; provider authorized for that exact course; deadline, its consequence, and delivery mode accepted
Lead or supervisor with real safety duties	Ask, in writing, whether 30 is required and accepted for your role	Duties match the rule; hour level confirmed; provider authorized; schedule fits
Requirement says only "OSHA card"	Pause — request exact wording	Hour level; track; delivery mode; recency rule; who owns the decision
A state or local law is the requirement	Read that jurisdiction's row before shopping	Hour level and track the law names; its deadline and penalty; any state approval layer; whether a five-year currency rule applies
Employer or safety manager buying for a team	Define a role-to-course matrix before shopping seats	Track and hour level per role; provider authorization; completion records and card handling; your own recency policy

Buying for a team? Decide role-to-course assignments before comparing volume pricing, and record the provider's authorization status, learner-invitation and completion-export tools, card handling, and renewal reminders. A bulk discount never outranks the correct track, the written project requirement, or acceptance — and your company's card-recency policy is a separate rule from federal card expiration.

Choose the industry track before the hour level

An hour level attached to the wrong course family is still the wrong course. OSHA Outreach runs separate programs — with their own procedures and content — for Construction, General Industry, and Maritime, so "OSHA 10" is incomplete until the track is named. Screen your work against the descriptions below, then confirm the classification with your employer or project rather than self-diagnosing edge cases; the OSHA Outreach FAQ outlines how the programs are organized.

Track	Screening description	Your action
Construction	Construction, alteration, repair, and related field work, when the employer or project classifies the role under construction	Construction 10 or 30; confirm any project-specific requirements
General Industry	Industries outside construction, agriculture, and maritime — many manufacturing, warehousing, healthcare, and service settings	General Industry 10 or 30; confirm the employer's classification
Maritime	Shipyard, marine terminal, or longshoring contexts covered by the maritime Outreach track	Maritime 10 or 30 — but note that OSHA's authorized online-provider list carried no maritime courses at all when checked on August 10, 2026. In practice that means an authorized in-person trainer; find one through Find a Trainer and budget extra lead time
Disaster Site Worker	A separate Outreach program for workers responding to disaster sites	Not a 10-vs.-30 substitute; follow the official program details

Why this matters enough to come before price: the tracks are separate course families with separate procedures and separate required content, and the card you receive names the track you completed. A Construction site rule asking for a Construction 10 card is not answered by a General Industry 10 card, however similar the hour counts look — and many online providers sell both tracks side by side, which makes clicking the wrong one easy. The wrong-track card is one of the most common ways a technically valid, properly authorized course still fails at the acceptance step, and the fix is a second full course, not a swap.

If your work straddles categories — a maintenance tech who sometimes does construction-classified tasks, for instance — do not pick a track from a blog post, including this one. Ask the employer or decision owner which classification and course they will accept, in writing.

How long, how much, and what proof do you receive?

Timing rules below reflect the OSHA Outreach Training Program requirements effective October 1, 2024. Prices are provider-page snapshots taken August 10, 2026.

Time. "10 hours" and "30 hours" mean minimum student contact hours, and current OSHA Outreach program requirements cap training at 7.5 contact hours per day. That makes the fastest legitimate OSHA 10 a two-calendar-day course and the fastest OSHA 30 a four-calendar-day course. Courses may be split into segments, but the program rules require completion within 180 calendar days of the class start date. Training that misses that window does not comply with the program requirements, which means it is not recognized and no course-completion card is issued — the course has to be taken again. Whether taking it again means paying again is the provider's re-registration and refund policy, not a program rule, so ask before you enroll if your schedule is tight. Any listing promising a one-day OSHA 10 conflicts with the current program rules.

Testing. OSHA does not require a final exam for Outreach courses. A trainer or provider may use its own assessments, and time spent testing does not count toward the required contact hours — so an unusually short "total time" claim deserves scrutiny.

Cost. Three worked cases, before you look at any provider page:

• Lowest realistic outlay: an employer-, union-, school-, state- or grant-funded seat. Tuition is $0 to you, but the payer usually also chooses the provider, the track and the hour level — confirm all three and any conditions before assuming it covers what your rule names.
• Base case: an online Construction 10 from an OSHA-authorized online provider, tuition in the sampled range below, with the DOL card included in tuition by the providers checked. Add any sales tax your state applies.
• Higher: in-person delivery, or an online course in a proctored or identity-verified version where one is required. In-person Outreach classes are priced by independent trainers rather than published on any list, so there is no reliable public range — get a written quote before you compare it to an online price.

The examples below are dated prices from three providers that appeared on OSHA's authorized online-provider list for the relevant Construction courses when checked; they are a comparison sample, not a market average or a cheapest-provider finding.

Construction-track price snapshot, August 10, 2026. Authorization verified the same day against OSHA's authorized online-provider list. Figures are the providers' displayed list prices; where a promotion was running on the check date it is shown alongside. Promotions expire without notice, and taxes and bulk terms vary — recheck the provider page before enrolling.

Provider (illustrative only — no recommendation)	On OSHA's authorized online list for Construction 10 and 30, checked Aug 10, 2026	Construction 10 tuition	Construction 30 tuition	Card included in tuition?	Total required outlay
HSI (Summit Training Source)	Listed for both courses	$70	$150	Yes — the provider states the hard card is included and mailed after completion	Tuition plus any applicable sales tax
ClickSafety	Listed for both courses	$89 list; $59 promotional price displayed Aug 10, 2026	$189 list; $159 promotional price displayed Aug 10, 2026	Not separately stated on the course page; the provider states the official card ships after completion — confirm at checkout	Tuition plus any card or processing charge and applicable sales tax
University of South Florida (USF OSHA Training)	Listed for both courses	Not publicly listed — priced on registration or by bulk quote	Not publicly listed — priced on registration or by bulk quote	Yes — the provider states DOL/OSHA cards are awarded for the 10- and 30-hour courses	Not calculable from published information; request a written quote

In this sample, stepping up from 10 to 30 with the same provider cost $80 at list price and $100 at the promotional prices displayed on the check date, where both figures were published. Your total required outlay is course tuition plus any mandatory card, processing, or shipping charge, plus required taxes or fees — some providers fold the card into tuition and others bill it separately, so confirm before checkout. Keep optional expedited services, replacement cards, and convenience upgrades out of the comparison. Note also what the third row shows: a provider can be fully authorized and still not publish a price, which is a reason to ask for a written quote rather than an assumption.

Online, live remote, or in person? There are three delivery modes, not two, and the mode is its own acceptance question. Neither mode is federally "better," yet the decision owner may accept only one — so confirm the accepted mode in writing before comparing anything else. A well-priced, properly authorized online course is still the wrong purchase if the site only honors in-person training.

Delivery mode	Who may deliver it	How you verify it	What to confirm with the decision owner
Online, self-paced (asynchronous)	Only OSHA-authorized online Outreach training providers. Authorized trainers may not run self-paced online classes	Find the exact course, track and hour level on OSHA's authorized online-provider list	Whether online delivery is accepted at all, and whether a proctored or identity-verified version is required
In person, classroom	An OSHA-authorized Outreach trainer	Find the individual instructor in Find a Trainer, then ask to see the original trainer card, which the program requires them to present at the start of each class and on student request	Whether classroom delivery is required, and that the trainer is authorized for your specific track
Live remote (video conference)	An OSHA-authorized Outreach trainer, after giving their authorizing training organization advance notification no later than seven calendar days before the class start date	Same as in person — verify the individual trainer in Find a Trainer	Whether live-remote delivery counts as classroom delivery for that employer or project
Self-paced from a seller not on the online list	Nobody. This is not a valid delivery mode, and OSHA states it cannot validate training from vendors other than those listed	Nothing to verify — no valid Outreach card is issued	Nothing. Do not buy it

Proof. Completing the course is not the same as holding the card, and holding the card is not the same as being cleared for work. The chain runs: course completion → the provider's completion record → the Outreach course-completion card issued through the authorized training system → the employer's or project's review of your proof. The program requirements put outer bounds on that chain: the trainer submits class documentation to their authorizing training organization — the OSHA-authorized body that trained them and issues student cards — within 30 calendar days of class completion, that organization processes the card request within 30 calendar days, and the student must receive the card within 90 calendar days of the course end date. There is also a hard stop on the trainer's side: if a batch of cards never reaches the trainer, a replacement set cannot be requested more than 90 calendar days after the class end date — so if nothing has reached you by then, contact the provider immediately rather than waiting.

For the gap in between, ask about a class certificate. OSHA encourages but does not require trainers to issue one, and a compliant certificate carries your name, the class end date, the legible name of the authorized trainer, and the trainer's written attestation that the class was conducted to program requirements and that your card will follow within 90 days. It is useful evidence — but OSHA is explicit that whether a class certificate is accepted is up to the requesting organization, so an instant completion certificate does not guarantee an instant card or same-day site access. For how that chain plays out in practice, see course completion versus card delivery.

Real-world scenarios and escalation triggers

These are labeled examples, not national rules — in every one, the named employer, project, or program owns acceptance.

Scenario	Known facts	Decision	If the deadline is missed	Escalate when
New construction laborer	Job offer says "Construction OSHA 10 within 30 days"	Take Construction 10 after confirming the provider, delivery mode, and deadline are accepted	Site access is typically withheld until proof is produced; the employer sets the actual consequence, so ask what it is before day 30	The site requires 30, a recent card, or a named provider
Warehouse team lead	Employer asks for General Industry training; the employee assigns work and leads inspections	Ask whether General Industry 30 is required for those actual duties — do not infer from the title	No fixed deadline yet — that is itself the problem to resolve in writing	The safety manager should issue a written role matrix and acceptance rule
Foreman moving into project leadership	Holds Construction 10; the new project requires OSHA 30	Follow the current upgrade rule only if every condition can be met; otherwise take a complete Construction 30	The upgrade route closes 180 calendar days after the original class start date; after that the only path is a full 30-hour course	Same-trainer, timing, and card-return conditions cannot all be satisfied
Job seeker told to "get OSHA certified"	No employer, track, or hour level named	Pause. Ask which Outreach card and track will be accepted — or whether different training is actually required	No deadline applies, so there is no cost to waiting for a clear answer	A provider is urging purchase with an employment promise

Every escalation trigger above is a fact this page cannot supply; when one fires, go back to the requester rather than to a checkout page. Notice, too, what none of the four scenarios turned on: price. Cost differences between providers are real but small next to the cost of the wrong course, the wrong track, or an unaccepted delivery mode.

Two questions belong somewhere else entirely. If you were suspended or terminated over a training deadline, or you believe a prevailing-wage or retaliation issue is involved, that is a question for a licensed attorney or your state labor agency, not a course provider. And if you think you were sold a course or a card by someone not authorized to issue one, OSHA takes Outreach Training Program complaints by email at outreach@dol.gov.

If the deadline passed, or you took the wrong course

Three recovery situations come up often enough to name, and none of them is fixed by buying quickly.

• The deadline has already passed. Go to the requester before you enrol in anything. Whether late completion is still accepted, and on what terms, is their decision — and if a state law set the deadline, the row above tells you what the statute attaches to it. Understand that a same-day fix does not exist: the minimum two-calendar-day and four-calendar-day schedules are program rules, not provider policy, so the earliest possible completion is two days away for OSHA 10 and four for OSHA 30.
• You completed a course with a provider that is not on OSHA's list. No valid Outreach card issues from an unauthorized course, and OSHA states it cannot validate training from vendors other than those listed. Before paying twice, check what you actually received against the authorized-provider list and the Find a Trainer directory, then tell the requester what you have and ask what they will accept. Our guide to verifying a course or provider covers what a valid card and completion record look like.
• You completed the right hours in the wrong track. The card names the track you completed and there is no swap or credit transfer between tracks. The remedy is the correct full course — which is why confirming the track in writing is worth more than any price comparison.

Does OSHA 10 expire? Replacement and upgrade myths

The accurate answer has two layers. Layer one: per the OSHA Outreach FAQ, a federal Outreach course-completion card generally has no expiration date. Layer two: an employer, project, union, or local rule can still require training completed within a recent window — commonly framed as a recency policy — and that rule, not the card's face, decides whether yours is accepted today. "My card is still valid federally" and "my card is accepted here" are different claims; confirm the second with the decision owner. This split is also why blanket internet answers in both directions fail: "it expires every five years" overstates the federal rule, while "it never expires, so it's good forever" quietly erases the employer or project recency policy that actually gates the job site.

State and local law can create the same effect from a different direction. Connecticut treats a card issued more than five years before the project start date as insufficient proof, Philadelphia requires the supervisor's OSHA 30 to have been completed within the five years before a licence application or renewal, and a New York City SST card runs five years and must be renewed with Department of Buildings refresher training. None of those rules expires your federal card; all three mean it will not carry you onto that particular site or licence.

Myth	What the current rules actually say
"OSHA 10 expires after five years."	The federal card generally has no expiration date. Five years matters to the current replacement-card record rule — how long a replacement can realistically be obtained — not to automatic expiration. Employer, state and local recency rules are separate.
"A 30 card replaces any 10 requirement."	Not automatically. Substitution belongs to the employer, project, or authority that wrote the requirement — follow its written answer.
"Add any 20-hour class to upgrade a 10 to a 30."	The current program requirements allow an upgrade only under narrow conditions: the same trainer must deliver both the original 10-hour class and the additional 20 hours, all of it within 180 calendar days of the 10-hour class start date, and the original 10-hour card must be returned to the authorizing training organization before a 30-hour card will be issued. A different provider cannot convert your card; otherwise, take a complete 30-hour course.
"OSHA keeps a permanent copy of my card."	OSHA says it does not maintain student records — replacement requests go to your original trainer or provider, only for classes completed within the last five years, and only once per class. Keep your own enrollment, completion, and card records permanently.

Practical takeaway: photograph the card, save the completion documents, and note the trainer or provider's name and contact details the day you finish. Those records are the only durable proof that survives a lost card, a provider change, or a new employer's audit.

How this comparison was built

This page compares the two federal Outreach hour levels — not providers. Every program claim was checked against current OSHA Outreach documents (the program overview, FAQ, card hierarchy, the card-fraud guidance, the requirements effective October 1, 2024, and the Construction and General Industry procedures) on August 10, 2026. Each state and local requirement was checked the same day against the statute, the municipal code, or the agency that enforces it, and a jurisdiction is listed in the mandate table only when its terms and deadline could be confirmed from that source; where a consequence could not be confirmed, the cell says so rather than estimating. State Plan status and the authority named for every state, the District of Columbia and the five territories were taken from OSHA's own State Plans directory on the same date; "none identified" in that table means this page did not verify a mandate for that jurisdiction, not that none exists. The price examples were taken the same day, only from providers that then appeared on OSHA's authorized online-provider list for the relevant courses, and are labeled as snapshots rather than market data; where a provider does not publish a price, the row says so rather than estimating, and where a promotion was running, both figures appear. No scoring, ranking, or weighting is used anywhere on this page: courses are matched to situations, never ranked. Program and authorization facts are re-reviewed at least quarterly (next routine review November 10, 2026); state and local requirements are re-reviewed quarterly and after any known legislative change; visible prices are rechecked monthly and on publication day (next check September 10, 2026).

Considered but not included:

• Disaster Site Worker Outreach courses — a separate Outreach program, not an alternative hour level in the 10-vs.-30 decision, per OSHA's program structure as of August 10, 2026.
• Standard-specific OSHA training (HAZWOPER, fall protection, powered industrial trucks, and similar) — a different requirement class; Outreach courses do not satisfy it, and it does not answer a 10-vs.-30 question. It appears here only as a pause trigger.
• Named provider recommendations — no provider was evaluated against this site's recommendation gate (current row-level authorization plus documented acceptance for a scoped use case) for this page as of August 10, 2026; provider selection is owned by our training options page.
• Requirement detail for other course types — state-by-state requirements outside workplace safety are owned by our state and local requirements guide. This page carries verified Outreach mandates that change which hour level, track or delivery mode you should buy, and routes every other US jurisdiction to the authority that would answer the question.

Required Courses is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with OSHA or any government agency. We link to official sources first. If this page later contains compensated links, compensation does not determine whether a course is included or how its authorization and acceptance are described. If an approval or requirement on this page looks out of date, the authority named in the row is the fastest correction route, and OSHA takes Outreach Training Program complaints at outreach@dol.gov.

Verify the requirement and provider before you enroll

Complete this worksheet before paying anyone. If any material field is unknown, the result is "do not enroll yet" — pause and request written confirmation.

1. Who requires the training, and do you have the exact wording in writing (with the document or URL)?
2. What does it name: hour level, industry track, delivery mode, completion deadline, what happens if that deadline is missed, and any card-recency rule?
3. What are your actual duties — entry-level, or safety-responsible?
4. Is the trainer or exact online course currently authorized for that track and hour level? For online courses check OSHA's authorized online-provider list; for in-person or live-remote classes check the instructor in Find a Trainer and ask to see the trainer card. In Nevada, also confirm the course is approved by the Division of Industrial Relations. Use our workflow to verify an authorized course or provider step by step.
5. Is a proctored or identity-verified version required, and does the course you are about to buy meet that condition?
6. What is the total required outlay — tuition plus any mandatory card, processing, or shipping fee and taxes — and does the minimum schedule (two or four calendar days) fit your deadline?
7. Who decides acceptance, and exactly what proof must you submit, to whom, by when? What will they take while the card is in transit?
8. Any field still blank? Do not enroll yet. Write down who owes you the answer and get it in writing.

Once the hour level and track are settled and the provider check is done, you can compare current OSHA 10/30 training options — the official verification always comes before any shopping step.

Frequently asked questions

Is OSHA 30 better than OSHA 10?

Neither is universally better. OSHA 30 is longer and adds safety-management content intended for supervisors and safety-responsible workers; OSHA 10 delivers basic hazard awareness for entry-level roles. "Better" for you is whichever course the written requirement names for your industry track and duties — buying 30 when 10 is required wastes time and money, and buying 10 when 30 is required leaves you short.

Can I take OSHA 30 instead of OSHA 10?

Only if the decision owner says so. The employer, project, union, or authority that wrote the requirement controls substitution, and a 30-hour card does not automatically satisfy a rule that names the 10-hour course. Before paying for the longer course as a "safe" choice, get written confirmation that it will be accepted for your specific role and track.

Does OSHA 10 expire?

Federally, the Outreach course-completion card generally has no expiration date. But an employer, project, state or local rule may still require training completed recently — Connecticut, Philadelphia and New York City all work that way — and that recency policy, not the card itself, controls acceptance. Keep your completion records permanently: OSHA does not maintain student records, and replacement cards are available only through your original trainer or provider under narrow conditions.

Is OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 required by law where I work?

There is no general federal requirement — Outreach is voluntary at the federal level. Eleven US jurisdictions verified for this page do mandate it for certain work, most often construction on publicly funded projects; Nevada requires it of every construction worker in the state, and Nevada and Philadelphia both require OSHA 30 for supervisors. The verified jurisdiction table above sets out who each rule covers, its deadline and its penalty, and the state table beneath it names the authority to ask in every other state. Remember that an employer or project rule can require the card whether or not a law does.

Is there a required final exam?

OSHA does not require a final exam for Outreach courses. Individual trainers and online providers may use quizzes or assessments as their own practice, and time spent on testing does not count toward the required 10 or 30 student contact hours. No provider can truthfully guarantee that you will pass its assessments, and passing them is not a government certification.

Can I upgrade an OSHA 10 card to OSHA 30?

Not by simply buying 20 more hours anywhere. Under the current program requirements, an upgrade is possible only in narrow circumstances — the same trainer must deliver both parts, everything must finish within 180 calendar days of the 10-hour class start date, and your original card must go back to the authorizing training organization. If you cannot meet every condition, the path is a complete 30-hour course. Confirm the details with your original trainer before paying for either route.

How long until I have the card — and until it's accepted?

It depends on the slowest step in the chain, not the fastest. Course completion comes first (minimum two calendar days for 10, four for 30), then the provider's completion record, then issuance of the Outreach card, which the program requires to reach you within 90 calendar days of the course end date, then the employer's or project's review of your proof. An instant certificate does not guarantee an instant card, site access, or acceptance. The certificate and card delivery guide walks through each stage.

What does OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 actually cost in total?

In our August 10, 2026 snapshot of authorized providers, published Construction 10 list prices ran $70–$89 and Construction 30 ran $150–$189, with one provider discounting to $59 and $159 on that date and a third not publishing a retail price at all. Advertised tuition is not necessarily the total required outlay: add any mandatory card, processing, or shipping fee and taxes, and note that even an employer- or state-funded "no-cost" seat can carry conditions. Current pricing lives on the OSHA 10/30 training options page.

Your next step

Send one message today, to whoever is asking you for the card, requesting the six fields in the worksheet above in writing. Almost every 10-vs.-30 question resolves the moment that reply arrives — and until it does, there is nothing worth buying, because the hour level, the track and the accepted delivery mode all live in that answer rather than on any provider's page.

Sources and last verified date

Last verified: August 10, 2026

Next review: November 10, 2026

Federal program (OSHA)

• Outreach Training Program — OSHA — federal program purpose, voluntary status, card-not-certification position, and the distinction from standard-required training.
• Outreach Training Program Overview — OSHA — intended audiences for the 10- and 30-hour courses, trainer role, and the five-year replacement-card window.
• Outreach Training Program FAQ — OSHA — industry tracks, testing practice, card issuance, expiration and replacement questions, and the Outreach complaint route.
• Outreach Training Program Card Hierarchy — OSHA — entry-level versus safety-responsibility framing and federal card expiration position.
• OSHA-Authorized Online Outreach Training Providers — OSHA — current course-by-course online provider authorization; the official verification path, the source for the absence of any authorized online maritime course, and the youth-focused provider flag.
• Find a Trainer — OSHA — the verification path for in-person and live-remote classes taught by authorized trainers.
• The Facts About Obtaining an OSHA Card — OSHA — card fraud guidance and the statement that the course does not guarantee employment.
• Outreach Training Program Requirements, effective October 1, 2024 — OSHA — daily contact-hour cap, minimum days, 180-day completion window, testing time, upgrade conditions, delivery-mode rules, advertising restrictions, card-issuance deadlines and class-certificate rules.
• Outreach Training Program Construction Industry Procedures (2024) — OSHA — Construction 10/30 audience, hours, and required content.
• Outreach Training Program General Industry Procedures (2024) — OSHA — General Industry 10/30 audience, hours, and required content.
• Training — OSHA — employer hazard-specific training obligations that Outreach courses do not satisfy.
• OSHA-Approved State Plans — OSHA — State Plan status and the state agency named for each jurisdiction in the state routing table.
• OSHA Regional and Area Offices — OSHA — the federal office to contact in states without a State Plan.
• On-Site Consultation — OSHA — the free state consultation programs worth asking about a funded seat.
• Susan Harwood Training Grant Program — OSHA — federally funded nonprofit training that may offer a no-cost seat.

State and local requirements

• Informational bulletin on the 10-hour OSHA construction course — Connecticut Department of Labor — Connecticut's $100,000 public-building threshold, 30-day proof deadline, five-year card rule and removal consequence under Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-53b.
• M.G.L. Chapter 30, Section 39S — Massachusetts General Court — Massachusetts certification requirement and the more-than-$10,000 threshold.
• Advisory on the OSHA 10 Act — Massachusetts Attorney General's Office — enforcement authority, certified-payroll documentation, carrying proof on the worksite, and worksite removal.
• Residents First Training and Employment Program — Miami-Dade County — Ordinance 14-26, the $1 million contract threshold and the OSHA 10 training condition.
• Contract requirements — Miami-Dade County — how the OSHA 10 condition applies to County contracts and to privately funded construction on County-owned land.
• RSMo §292.675 — Missouri Revisor of Statutes — Missouri's Construction Safety Training Act, 60-day training window, 20-day documentation period and monetary penalty.
• Required safety training — Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations — who counts as an on-site employee and how the requirement is administered.
• NRS Chapter 618 — Nevada Legislature — §618.977 (Division approval of OSHA-10 and OSHA-30 courses and the state registries), §618.983 (cards within 15 days of hire) and §618.987 (employer suspension or termination), plus the separate entertainment, convention services and cannabis provisions.
• 10 and 30 Hour OSHA Training: Construction — Nevada Division of Industrial Relations — Nevada's construction requirement, the post-2020 card verification database, the authorized-trainer list and SCATS free classes.
• RSA 277:5-a — New Hampshire General Court — New Hampshire's $100,000 state-funded threshold, completion before beginning work, and the fifteenth-day removal rule.
• Provisions of law for public work — New York State Department of Labor — Labor Law Article 8 §220-h, the $250,000 threshold, the prevailing-wage scope limiter, certified-payroll proof and the no-renewal position.
• Local Law 196: renewing Site Safety Training cards — New York City Department of Buildings — SST card five-year term, refresher-based renewal, and confirmation that full OSHA courses need not be retaken.
• Contractor requirements — Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections — the OSHA 30 supervisory requirement, the five-year window, the trade carve-outs and the continuing-education renewal alternative.
• Philadelphia Code §9-1004 — American Legal Publishing — the contractor licensing provision that names OSHA 30 training.
• Prevailing wage FAQ — Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training — the $100,000 threshold and OSHA 10 certification requirement under R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 37-23-1 and 37-23-6.
• West Virginia Code §21-3-22 — West Virginia Legislature — the $50,000 threshold, the 21-day window and exemption, cease-and-desist authority and civil and criminal penalties.

Free and low-cost official training

• OSHA 10-Hour Construction training — Nevada Safety Consultation and Training Section — free state-sponsored classes.
• OSHA 30-Hour Construction training — Nevada Safety Consultation and Training Section — free state-sponsored classes.
• OSHA 30-Hour Construction classes — Texas Division of Workers' Compensation — low-cost in-person classes for Texas residents and people working in Texas.

Provider documentation (price and product terms only)

• OSHA 10 & 30 Online Training — HSI — Construction 10 and 30 list prices and card inclusion, August 10, 2026.
• OSHA 10-Hour Construction — ClickSafety — Construction 10 list and promotional price, August 10, 2026.
• OSHA 30-Hour Construction — ClickSafety — Construction 30 list and promotional price, August 10, 2026.
• USF OSHA Training — authorized-provider listing target and absence of a published retail price, August 10, 2026.
• What is an OSHA Department of Labor card? — USF OSHA Training — the provider's statement that DOL cards are awarded for its 10- and 30-hour courses, August 10, 2026.