Training programs: construction requirements

In addition to the general construction-training rule (1926.21(b)(2)), OSHAhas specified training requirements for employees exposed to fall situations. Accordingly, 1926.503 identifies required training components, but does not specify training program details. 

Training requirements for respirator use are found in either the respiratory standard at 1910.134 or in the OSHA specific contaminants rules. If you are involved in construction operations involving an OSHA specific substance, your training program must be all inclusive, i.e., you must cover all training requirements in the respiratory rule and also the OSHA specific rule. 

The rule does not require anployers to maintain records of employee training, but many employers choose to do so. This may help yon monitor your own program to ensure that all employees are appropriately trained. If you already have a training program, you may simply have to supplement it with whatever additional information is required under the HCS. For example, construction employers who are already in compliance with the construction training standard (29 CFR 1926.21) will have little extra training to do. 

The study of Coble et al. also revealed that safety courses are offered primarily at the junior and senior levels, and, if a safety course is offered, it is typically required as part of the curriculum. Meanwhile, all of the safety courses that are offered address the OSHA Standards for Construction, and an OSHA Outreach Training certificate is earned in 44 % of the safety eourses. Moreover, 75 % of all programs, including those that offer a separate safety course, address constraction safety in other courses within the constraction program. 

The ACCE (2012), Document 103, defines the standards and criteria for accreditation of construction education programs. According to ACCE (2012), the curriculum of baccalaureate degree programs should address health and safety in the constraction courses related to project execution. ACCE (2012) requires that at least one semester credit (1.5 quarter credits) must be devoted to safety. This credit can be covered either in a single course or in multiple courses. Safety content must include safe practices mandatory procedures, training, records, and maintenance and compliance, inspection, and penalties. 

An audit check performed prior to equipment operation to ensure that adequate Process Safety Management (PSM) activities have been performed. The check should verify that (1) construction and equipment are satisfactory, (2) procedures are available and adequate, (3) a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) has been undertaken and recommendations resolved, and (4) the employees are trained. It is part of the requirements of the PSM program outlined in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation 29 CFR 1910.119. 

The Department of Labor itself is required to establish and supervise programs for the education and training of employers and employees in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe conditions at construction sites. 

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