OSHA Required Training by Industry: Start With the Task, Not a Generic List
There is no single OSHA course list that every business in an industry can buy and tick off. Training duties arise from the OSHA standards that apply to the work, equipment and exposures of particular employees. Start by determining whether the job is construction, general industry, maritime or agriculture; identify the relevant federal or State Plan standards; then map each task and affected worker to the standard's training content, timing and retraining triggers. OSHA's Training Requirements in OSHA Standards is a useful index, but read the current regulation for each requirement. An old matrix may miss amended standards or a State Plan rule.
OSHA's 10-hour and 30-hour Outreach courses are voluntary federal hazard-awareness programmes. They do not satisfy training duties in specific OSHA standards, even if a state, project owner or employer requires a card. OSHA Outreach; OSHA training overview. That distinction should appear in every training register.
How to build the applicable matrix
- Classify the work, not just the employer. OSHA's general industry overview uses “general industry” for work not within construction, agriculture or maritime. A company may have different operations and standards in different areas. Use OSHA's construction and general industry Quick Starts as starting points.
- List roles, equipment and exposures. Include employees, temporary workers and supervisors where their tasks are affected. Note chemicals, machines, confined spaces, respirators, fall hazards, electrical work, blood/OPIM, vehicles and emergency duties as applicable.
- Read each standard's training clause. Record who must be trained, what content is required, who must teach it if specified, initial timing, retraining triggers and any certification or record requirement. Avoid transferring a requirement from one subpart to another.
- Check State Plan and local/contract rules separately. State OSHA programmes may be at least as effective as federal OSHA and sometimes more demanding. Project entry rules and licence requirements are separate from federal standards. OSHA State Plans.
- Verify learning, not only attendance. OSHA says required training must be delivered in a language and vocabulary workers can understand. A signed sheet for a presentation they could not understand is weak evidence. OSHA training policy.
Selected examples by operation
| Operation | Task/trigger to check | Primary standard/guidance | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | Recognising and avoiding unsafe conditions | 29 CFR 1926.21 | General construction instruction; task-specific subparts add duties. |
| Construction | Employee exposed to fall hazards within Subpart M scope | 29 CFR 1926.503 | A 10-hour card is not the required site-specific fall training. |
| Construction | Employees using ladders/stairways | 29 CFR 1926.1060 | Train on applicable hazards and safe use; retrain as necessary. |
| General industry | Hazardous chemicals in the work area | 29 CFR 1910.1200(h) | Initial assignment and new chemical hazard; include workplace labels/SDS access. |
| General industry | Authorized/affected employee in energy-control process | 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7) | Different content for authorized, affected and other employees. |
| General industry | Worker must use a respirator under a required programme | 29 CFR 1910.134(k) | Training sits alongside programme, medical evaluation and fit-test duties where applicable. |
| Healthcare and other exposed work | Reasonably anticipated occupational exposure to blood/OPIM | 29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2) | Initial and at least annual training, plus changed-exposure training. Not limited to hospitals. |
These are examples, not a complete industry checklist. “Healthcare” is not a separate magic OSHA part number; a clinic may need the bloodborne-pathogens and general-industry standards that match its tasks. A manufacturer may need HazCom, lockout/tagout or respiratory protection only where the corresponding conditions apply. A construction contractor may need specialised subpart training not shown above. Maritime and agriculture require their own standards review; do not paste this table over those operations. OSHA's 2254 training index and training compliance resources help locate further clauses.
Copyable training-matrix fields
| Worker/role | Task or exposure | Applicable standard + paragraph | Required content | Trainer/competence | Initial deadline | Retraining trigger | Proof and record owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Add a column for State Plan/local/contract requirements, clearly distinguished from federal OSHA. Capture the training material version, worker language, questions or practical demonstration, date and evaluator. Where a standard requires a certification, record the exact elements it specifies. Where it does not, do not invent a federal certificate or expiry date; keep useful evidence of delivery and understanding anyway.
Example: one contractor, different training needs
A contractor has office staff, an equipment-maintenance shop and crews on construction sites. The office does not receive every construction-site course merely because it shares a payroll. Shop mechanics working under an energy-control programme need the training matching their authorized or affected role. Construction workers assigned to fall-risk work need the relevant Subpart M training, while a supervisor's OSHA 30 card provides broader awareness but does not replace that training. Workers using a respirator may need a separate programme with training and other prerequisites. The matrix follows actual work and exposure, not job titles alone.
When to update the matrix
Review when a worker changes assignment, a new chemical or process is introduced, equipment changes, a standard changes or an incident shows workers do not understand a control. Some standards specify annual training; others use a change, deficiency or “as necessary” trigger. Do not attach a universal one-year renewal to every OSHA topic. For bloodborne pathogens, for example, 1910.1030(g)(2) expressly requires training at initial assignment and at least annually; lockout/tagout lists change-based retraining. Check the current text for each.
Ownership and product boundary
The existing Complys US OSHA 10 vs 30 guide owns the Outreach-card comparison. This page owns the employer's cross-industry applicability method and matrix, with links to task standards. The live US OSHA software page mentions some training examples but is a product destination rather than a complete method. Targeted search found no exact Complys US “required training by industry” guide; final repository/in-flight review remains. The observed US host is a neutral link. The proposed /us/safety-training-tracking-software route and any feature promise need direct route/product confirmation; do not imply Complys automatically decides legal applicability or delivers accredited courses.
Primary sources reviewed 6 October 2026: OSHA 2254, construction Quick Start, general-industry Quick Start, the specific standards linked in the matrix, OSHA Outreach, State Plans. Writer-side QA: federal vs State Plan/contract distinctions, task-specific applicability, training frequency and product gates preserved. Disposition: READY subject to publication gate.