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OSHA Training Institute Education Center

FAQ's

Certification FAQ's

Regardless of your educational background, the USF Certificate Programs provide both experienced and newer safety professionals important workplace knowledge and practical experience regarding safety and safety standards. Participants will enjoy a fulfilling learning experience and gain the skills necessary to create solutions for workplace safety challenges.
  • No. Any course listed on the USF OTI Education Center website or course brochure is applied towards the certificate.

  • Yes. Certificate programs offer concentrated study in areas directly applicable to many jobs and can add depth to existing knowledge and skills. Completion of a certificate program can help you make the transition to a new career.

  • You will become aware of government agencies that affect your industry. You will learn to communicate safety and health problems to your team to in order to reduce injuries and health problems in your workplace. We will help you get started on developing an effective safety program.

  • There is a $150.00 non-refundable fee to enroll in the certificate program. For individual course fees, see the details on our website.

  • Yes. The certificate program consists of courses from our regular curriculum, so some students work toward a certificate while others do not. From the date of your application for the certificate program, you have three years to complete the required coursework.

  • Yes as long as requirements for both certificates are met.

  • If you are new to safety we recommend you begin your coursework with OSHA Standard based courses depending on the industry:

  • There is no required order to the coursework. Once you have completed the prerequisite courses listed previously you can take any course in your area of interest.

  • If you have already taken a listed course with the University of South Florida OTI Education Center that course can be applied to a certificate. There will not be a refund of the discounted price.

  • All courses applied to a certificate program must be taken from University of South Florida. Previous Courses taken with the USF OTI Education Center will apply.

  • From the date of your application for the certificate program, you have three years to complete the required coursework.

OSHA Outreach Training Program FAQs

 
  • he plastic cards will become available starting March 1, 2016, but will be phased in over time. OSHA does not maintain student records for training conducted by other organizations or by authorized Outreach trainers. Trainers request cards from their Authorizing Training Organization (ATO) ATOs have discretion for when they will switch from paper cards to plastic cards. If you are concerned, please ask your trainer to clarify with their ATO as to whether the plastic cards will be available for your class. If you do receive a paper card, it is possible to obtain a replacement card later, but there will be a nominal fee determined by the ATO. In order to obtain transcripts or copies of course completion documents such as student course completion cards, you must contact the original training provider. Please note that replacement student course completion cards for OSHA Outreach Training Program classes cannot be issued for training completed more than five years ago. Only one replacement card may be issued per student per class (Outreach Training Program Requirements section VII.E.(2)). 

  • It is possible to obtain a replacement card later, but there will be a nominal fee determined by the Authorizing Training Organization (ATO). OSHA does not maintain student records for training conducted by other organizations or by authorized Outreach trainers. In order to obtain transcripts or copies of course completion documents such as student course completion cards, you must contact the original training provider. Please note that replacement student course completion cards for OSHA Outreach Training Program classes cannot be issued for training completed more than five years ago. Only one replacement card may be issued per student per class (Outreach Training). Program Requirements section VII.E.(2)). Before requesting a replacement, please ask your trainer to clarify with their ATO as to current availability of the new cards. 

  • Most OSHA-authorized online training providers transitioned to issuing plastic cards on January 1, 2019. Please contact the online provider you plan to use to verify the type of card they issue. 

  • The Outreach Training Program is voluntary and OSHA does not require Outreach training. Some states, municipalities, employers, unions, and other organizations have enacted requirements mandating training. Any determination on what will be accepted in order to meet mandatory training requirements must be made by the organization mandating the training. Anyone in possession of a Maritime Outreach course completion card with an expiration date who is eligible to request a replacement card, may request a replacement card with a course end date through the OSHA-authorized Outreach trainer who provided their training. 

  • OSHA-authorized trainers issue student course completion cards to individuals that successfully complete an OSHA Outreach Training Program class. The Outreach Training Program offers 10-hour or 30-hour classes for Construction, General industry, Maritime, and a 15-hour class for Disaster Site Worker. In order to obtain an OSHA card, an individual must attend and successfully complete the entire class, including all requisite topics and the minimum number of contact hours. Please note that an OSHA card is not considered a certification or license. 

  • OSHA offers Outreach Training Programs for the following industries: Construction, General Industry, Maritime, and Disaster Site work. 

  • The 10-hour class is intended to provide workers with awareness of common job-related safety and health hazards, while the 30-hour class is more appropriate for supervisors or workers with some safety responsibility. 

  • No. Although the Outreach Training Program Requirements refer to training being targeted for workers, participants of Outreach Training Program classes are not required to be employed. 

  • No. There is no minimum age requirement to participate in Outreach Training Program classes. 

  • The 10-hour outreach courses provide basic awareness training on the recognition, avoidance, abatement, and prevention of workplace hazards. The course also provides information regarding workers' rights, employer responsibilities, and filing a complaint. 

    The 30-hour outreach courses provide a greater depth and variety of training on an expanded list of topics associated with workplace hazards in each industry. OSHA provides authorized trainers procedures for each industry program on the topic outlines for each industry. 

  • No, they are voluntary. OSHA recommends outreach courses as an orientation to occupational safety and health for workers. However, some states have enacted laws mandating the training. Also, some employers, unions, organizations or other jurisdictions may also require this training. 

  • No. Employers are responsible for training their workers on specific hazards of their job, as noted in many OSHA standards. A list of standards requiring training is found in OSHA Publication 2254 [PDF], "Training Requirements in OSHA Standards and Training Guidelines." 

  • OSHA authorized outreach trainers are not OSHA personnel. Trainers are authorized (not certified) through this program to deliver Outreach training classes. Trainers are independent service providers and their schedules and fees may vary. OSHA recommends contacting multiple trainers to find one that best meets the student's needs. This includes questioning trainers about their accommodations for students with a learning disability. Students may verify the status of an authorized outreach trainer. All trainers should possess a trainer card which includes an expiration date along with the name of the authorizing OTI Education Center. 

  • Students interested in attending an Outreach Training Program class should request to see a prospective trainer's current Authorized Trainer card in order to verify the trainer's status. This should be done prior to selecting a trainer. Authorized Trainer cards will contain the trainer's name and authorization expiration date on the front of the card. The card will also list the Authorizing Training Organization (ATO) which authorized the trainer to deliver Outreach classes. Students may contact the ATO if there are any questions regarding the trainer's status. Outreach trainers must provide proof of their current training authorization on request. 

  • For privacy reasons, OSHA does not provide individual verification of student course completion cards or authorized trainer cards. Verification of Outreach card authenticity is at the discretion of the cardholder. 

  • If an individual holding an OSHA Outreach student course completion card wishes to verify the authenticity of their student course completion card, the individual can provide the name and contact information of the authorized trainer who issued the student course completion card. Each authorized OSHA outreach trainer is required to maintain records on their training for a period of five years. If it is a plastic Outreach Training Program student or trainer card, scan the QR code on the back of the card to verify the training. The QR code will provide contact information for the OTI Education Center who processed the card and can provide verification of the card. 

  • An individual who completes an OSHA outreach trainer course is provided an OSHA authorized trainer card. This card indicates the expiration date of the trainer's authorization. If the authorized trainer who issued the OSHA Outreach student course completion card wishes to verify the authenticity of their own authorized trainer status, the trainer can provide their OSHA trainer card, which will include the name and phone number of the authorizing training organization. The authorizing training organization can verify the status of the trainer. Please note that in most cases, the authorizing training organization is an OSHA Training Institute Education Center. 

  • Write to outreach@dol.gov or call the outreach fraud hotline at 847-725-7804 to file complaints about program fraud and abuse. Provide all pertinent information, including the trainer's name, the date of training, the location of the training, the type of training (Construction, General Industry, Maritime, Disaster Site Worker), and whether it was to cover 10 or 30 hours. Include any other relevant information including your name and contact information. Please note that OSHA will maintain the confidentiality of the person providing the information. 

  • Trainers are responsible for applying for approval for issuing CEUs. OSHA does not accredit organizations or individuals, does not certify organizations or individuals, and does not assign CEUs to outreach classes delivered by OSHA outreach trainers. 

  • OSHA Outreach Program Coordinator 
    OSHA Directorate of Training and Education 
    2020 S. Arlington Hts. Road 
    Arlington Heights, IL 60005 
    (847) 725-7804
    Fax: (847) 297-6636
    E-mail: outreach@dol.gov

  • OSHA authorizes trainers to conduct occupational safety and health training through the OSHA Outreach Training Program. Through this program, individuals who complete a one-week OSHA trainer course receive a certificate of completion and an authorized outreach trainer card. Trainer courses are based on one of the following subject areas: disaster site workers (second responders), construction, general industry, or maritime. Upon successful completion of the trainer course, trainers are authorized to teach students courses based on the trainer course subject area. These include two-day courses for disaster site workers (second responders), as well as 10-hour and 30-hour courses in construction, general industry, or maritime safety and health hazards. Authorized trainers can receive OSHA course completion cards for their students. The OSHA Outreach Training Program is voluntary. OSHA does not require participation in this program. To become an authorized OSHA Outreach Trainer, you must complete a required OSHA trainer course and complete/meet the necessary prerequisite requirements: 

    • For Construction Industry: OSHA #500 Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for Construction. Prerequisites are: five (5) years of construction safety experience (a college degree in occupational safety and health, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) designation, in the applicable training area may be substituted for two years of experience) and completion of OSHA #510 Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry.
    • For General Industry: OSHA #501 Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for General Industry. Prerequisites are: five years of general industry safety experience (a college degree in occupational safety and health, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) designation, in the applicable training area may be substituted for two years of experience) and completion of OSHA #511, Occupational Safety and Health Standards for General Industry.
    • For Maritime Industry: Course #5400 Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for the Maritime Industry. The prerequisites for Course #5400 are as follows: Three years maritime industry experience and at least one of the following: Two years of occupational safety and health experience (with a broad focus) in any industry; a degree in occupational safety and health from an accredited college or university; or certification as an Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation; Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH); designation; Certified Marine Chemist (CMC) designation; or Certified Safety Health Manager (CSHM) designation.
    • For Disaster Site Workers: Course #5600 Disaster Site Worker Train-the-Trainer Course. The prerequisites for Course #5600 are as follows: OSHA Course #500 or #501, three years safety training experience and completion of the 40-hour HAZWOPER training.

    The OSHA courses listed above are only offered by authorized OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers located throughout the United States. For a complete list of all the OTI Education Centers and their approved courses, please visit the OTI Education Center Locations page. 

  • Although testing is not required by OSHA, trainers have the option of administering a test to evaluate learning. It is at the discretion of the trainer to determine whether or not a student has successfully completed the class. Because OSHA does not require testing in these classes, the agency has not issued specific requirements for trainers regarding tests being administered orally as opposed to written tests. For this reason, it is recommended that students discuss any accommodation needs related to their learning environments prior to selecting a trainer. This includes questioning trainers about their accommodations for students with a learning disability. 

  • Please note that the Outreach Training Program requirements and procedures have no requirement for training to be 508 compliant. OSHA does not currently host or offer online Outreach Training Program classes on a federal government Web site. Private Web sites are encouraged, but not required to be section 508 compliant. Authorized Outreach trainers are independent service providers, not federal employees or agents. 

  • Online Outreach Training Program classes are offered by independent training providers. If you have technical issues or customer service concerns related to your online Outreach Training Program classes, you should contact the online training provider directly to resolve the matter. The current list of OSHA-accepted online 10- and 30-hour Outreach Training Programs is available at: https://www.osha.gov/training/outreach/training-providers. 

    If the online training provider is unable to resolve the matter, you may forward your concern to OSHA by email at: outreach@dol.gov. Please provide specific information regarding the issue and include all relevant communication between you and the online training provider. Please note that Outreach Training Program trainers are required to issue student course completion cards directly to the student within 90 days of class completion. If you completed an Outreach Training Program 10- or 30-hour class and did not receive your completion card within 90 days, contact your Outreach trainer. 

  • Outreach Training Program trainers are required to issue student course completion cards directly to the student within 90 days of class completion. If you completed an Outreach Training Program 10- or 30-hour class and did not receive your completion card within 90 days, contact your Outreach trainer. 

  • Individuals that successfully complete an OSHA Outreach Training Program class receive a student course completion card. Please note that there is no program requirement for trainers to issue any other form of course completion documentation. Outreach trainers are encouraged to provide training certificates to students at the end of the training class to help students provide verification that they completed the training prior to receiving their student course completion card. Acceptance of a training certificate instead of a student course completion card is at the discretion of the employer or job site. Although the program is voluntary, some States, employers, unions, and other jurisdictions require this training to fulfill their safety training goals. Check with the relevant organization, employer or work site to determine if a course completion certificate in lieu of a course completion card fulfills their training requirement. 

  • Outreach trainers are required to issue student course completion cards directly to the student within 90 days of course completion, regardless of who paid for the training. If you have not received your card within the 90-day period, contact your trainer immediately. If your trainer does not provide the card as requested, notify the Outreach Training Program by email ( outreach@dol.gov). Please be sure to include all relevant information such as student name, trainer name, training location and date, type of class, and actions taken to contact the trainer. 

  • uthorized Outreach trainers can obtain training materials from various sources and develop their own material to support the classes they conduct. Trainers generally receive training materials from their Authorizing Training Organization (OTI Education Center) during their trainer course. OSHA provides some required Outreach Training Program curriculum such as Introduction to OSHA and Focus Four on its Outreach Training Program Web page. Outreach trainers may also reference other safety and health training resources on the OSHA Web site at: www.osha.gov/training/library. 

  • Outreach trainers are authorized for four years from the date that the trainer course is completed. To maintain authorization status, a trainer must successfully complete an update course every four years. If the trainer does not successfully complete the update course within four years, the trainer must meet associated prerequisites and retake the full trainer course in order to reinstate authorization status. 

  • See the OSHA Training Institute {OTI) Education Center course schedules and contact information. Each OTI Education Center posts its course offerings, schedule, and locations on their individual website. 

  • ID numbers are given to trainers who have conducted an outreach training class and received student course completion cards. It is usually provided on the letter that is sent with the student completion cards. If you are submitting your first card request, you must include a copy of your OSHA trainer card. Some authorizing training organizations may issue an ID number upon course registration or trainer course completion. 

  • OSHA training programs are intended for workers within the agency's geographic jurisdiction. These locations include the 50 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Wake Island, Outer Continental Shelf Lands defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and Johnston Island. For this reason, OSHA Outreach Training Program classes must be limited to training conducted within OSHA's geographic jurisdiction. 

    Although trainers may provide safety and health training to workers outside the OSHA's geographic jurisdiction, it must be done outside of the Outreach Training Program and without OSHA's involvement. OSHA encourages international trainers to consider alternatives for conducting occupational safety and health training that adds value for workers. In this manner, trainers will be able to select and provide the specific safety and health training needed by their target audience, and personally control and manage the program. This will allow trainers to integrate and brand their vision of safety and health which may serve as a model for safety and health training that others may choose to replicate. Under such a plan, trainers may design and issue their own certificates, cards, badges, stickers, etc. as long as they do not indicate that the program is supported by OSHA or is a part of the OSHA Outreach Training Program. 

    OSHA will only consider exception requests for training outside the agency's geographic jurisdiction for training provided on a contract basis for a specific organization and only its employees. The contracting organization is the party who has a legal binding contract with the trainer. The OSHA Outreach Training Program Requirements contain the specific process for obtaining OSHA approval for training outside OSHA jurisdiction. The Outreach trainer must submit a written request for exception to OSHA at least 60 days in advance of the scheduled training. 

  • OSHA Outreach Training Program classes delivered outside of OSHA's jurisdiction to members of the U.S. military are permissible and these personnel are eligible to receive student course completion cards. In these cases, authorized outreach trainers do not have to request an exception from OSHA, but they must ensure their authorizing training organization is aware that the persons trained are members of the U.S. military. U.S. Department of Defense civilian personnel can also be trained without an exception. However, contractors for the U.S. military cannot be trained without prior approval from OSHA. 

  • cards? It takes up to 90 days to process a request for student course completion cards. If you have not received your cards after 90 days, contact your authorizing training organization. 

  • No, they are voluntary. OSHA recommends outreach courses as an orientation to occupational safety and health for workers. However, some states have enacted laws mandating the training. Also, some employers, unions, organizations or other jurisdictions may also require this training. 

  • Trainers should contact their authorizing training organization that issued the cards. Please note that authorizing training organizations may charge an administrative fee for issuing and/or replacing cards. 

  • If you are an authorized outreach trainer who conducts the training in a language other than English, send the following information to your Authorized Training Organization: 

    • Name
    • Construction, General Industry, Maritime and/or Disaster Site Worker
    • Company/Organization, if applicable
    • City/state
    • Phone
    • E-mail
    • Website address, if applicable
    • Language
  • Training that is conducted to comply with requirements in the OSHA standards cannot be counted toward outreach training. Also, CPR and First Aid training cannot be counted towards fulfillment of outreach requirements because they are not considered occupational safety and health topics dealing with hazard recognition or prevention. 

  • OSHA does not issue waivers for the trainer course prerequisites. The prerequisites contain separate requirements for experience and training. Experience is not considered a substitute for the training prerequisite. 

  • Yes, trainers may do this under the following conditions: the same trainer must conduct all of the training, all the training must be completed (from the start of the 10-hour class, to the end of the 30-hour class) within six months, and the student must return the 10-hour card to the trainer, who must then return the 10-hour card to the issuing Authorizing Training Organization (ATO} in order to receive the 30-hour card. 

    Please note that the purpose of surrendering the 10-hour card is to accurately reflect the level of training a student has received. Simultaneous possession of both a 10- and 30-hour card may inaccurately imply that the student has received a total of 40 hours of training. For this reason, the trainer is required to collect the original 10-hour card from the student and return it to the issuing ATO along with a new Outreach Training Program Report to be issued a 30-hour course completion card. 

  • OSHA limits training contact hours to 7½ hours per day. A trainer is allowed to add additional time for breaks and lunch that would increase the overall time to more than 7 ½ hours. 

  • OSHA Training Institute {OTI} Education Centers do not receive any funding from OSHA. These organizations support their training programs and Outreach Training Program administrative activities through tuition and fees. For this reason, OSHA authorizes OTI Education Centers to charge fees for processing requests for student course completion cards. 

  • Students may complete the makeup training with the guest trainer who conducted the particular missed training portion, as long as this part of the training is coordinated by the primary trainer. The student must have access to the primary trainer for any follow-up questions. 

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